Disagreements and Scandals within the CP: What is the Reason?

The newspaper "Joghvorut" reports that the discussion of the bill "On Amendments and Changes to the Law on Military Service and the Status of a Serviceman," authored by My Step parliamentary group member Hayk Sargsyan, caused a significant uproar yesterday. Although the bill was passed in the first reading last year, it continues to be a sore point among the CP members.

Recall that Hayk Sargsyan's proposal includes the provision to pay 15 million drams and to be completely exempted from military service. The bill will be discussed in the National Assembly in its second reading next week.

What caused the hot discussion and verbal altercations among CP members during yesterday's session of the National Assembly's Defense and Security Committee? Notably, CP member Hovik Aghazaryan stood out for his enthusiasm and activity, declaring that he disagrees with the spirit of the law and will do everything to ensure Hayk Sargsyan's bill is not passed.

It's worth noting that Hovik Aghazaryan is not a member of the National Assembly's Defense and Security Committee, so his presence at the meeting was not mandatory. So why was he there?

According to information from "Joghvorut," Hovik Aghazaryan was actually sent to the committee on a special mission by the leader of the CP faction Hayk Konyjoryan, secretary Arthur Hovhannisyan, and deputy Andranik Kocharyan.

The thing is, Hayk Sargsyan enjoys a privileged position within the CP and is one of the few deputies who is independent, not subject to the whims of the CP elite, and one of the few who has direct contact with Nikol Pashinyan, as well as the ability to send SMS messages to him. This independence is painful for the faction's manipulative elite who cannot reconcile with Hayk's autonomy.

Thus, the CP's "clever trio" decided to use Hovik Aghazaryan to punish Hayk Sargsyan without drawing attention. They instructed their political tool, Aghazaryan, to engage in a conflict with Hayk Sargsyan and to undermine him. Aghazaryan, who had previously voted "for" the same bill in the first reading, was speaking against it yesterday. We should expect more attacks on Hayk Sargsyan, who maintains his independence.