The Issue of Ghazinyan Will Be Resolved: Parliament Adopted the Bill

The Parliament has adopted in the first reading the bill presented by Vilen Gabrielian, a member of the Civil Contract faction, which aims to regulate the election of the deputy chair of the parliamentary committee.

The bill proposes an amendment to the Constitutional Law on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, according to which if the deputy chairman of a permanent committee is not elected, then the entitled faction must nominate a new candidate within 5 working days after the vote.

Arzvik Minasyan, Secretary of the Armenia faction, stated that this is perceived as the usurpation of positions reserved for the opposition. “If we want to fundamentally resolve this issue, you should also vote against the bill, so we can discuss it together and find solutions. Otherwise, it will appear that this change is simply aimed at taking that position away from the opposition,” Minasyan said, addressing the Civil Contract faction.

Arthur Hovhannisyan, Secretary of the Civil Contract faction, responded that this change is necessary so that the “parliamentary opposition cannot disrupt the normal functioning of the committee by organizing political spectacles.”

“Mr. Minasyan, take another look at the Civil Contract’s statement that we will not be nominating a candidate for the deputy chair of the Defense Committee, and afterward, you will find your assertion that we want to usurp the position of vice-chair groundless,” Hovhannisyan added.

It is noteworthy that the Civil Contract faction aims to control particularly the election of the deputy chair of the National Assembly’s Defense and Security Committee, for which the Armenia faction has nominated Arthur Ghazinyan as a candidate, but the Civil Contract faction has failed to elect him 16 times as deputy chair of the committee.

The bill was adopted with 68 votes in favor and 33 against, with Arthur Ghazinyan also voting in favor.