The Conflict Between Alen Simonyan and Hayk Sargsyan Will Last for a Long Time

The internal conflict within the ruling faction of the Armenian parliament between Speaker Alen Simonyan and MP Hayk Sargsyan is expected to drag on for a long time. However, it is already evident that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has made a decision, and that decision leans toward Alen Simonyan.

The facts are striking: Simonyan spat on a citizen and remained unpunished after the incident. Additionally, the purchases made by the National Assembly are almost openly filled with corruption risks. There's even the case of Simonyan acquiring a 2.5 million dram golden worry bead (counter) at the expense of the budget, as well as promoting the interests of his friends in the betting business.

On the opposing side stands Hayk Sargsyan, nicknamed “the bottle-collector,” making Pashinyan's response straightforward: he must protect the “spitting Assembly Speaker.” This is also due to the corruption accusations raised by Sargsyan, which are somewhat relevant to his relative Hrachya Hakobyan, who similarly enjoys close ties with wealthy owners of betting companies.

Turning to Hayk Sargsyan, it's noteworthy that he was once one of Pashinyan's most loyal and close associates, an indispensable member of his circle, but has now become unwelcome. The reason is clear: Sargsyan began to display independence and attempted to assert leadership within the team. The situation changed dramatically when he even had the audacity to oppose his godfather Vahe Ghalumyan during a gathering of the ruling party, leading to a physical altercation in the presence of Pashinyan.

However, an interesting dilemma has arisen: Pashinyan supports Simonyan but is well aware that Simonyan himself is unwanted by the majority of the team. The spitting and scandalous Assembly Speaker, accused of corruption by his teammate, is a political burden for the ruling faction. As a result, everything within the ruling party has transformed into internal intrigues and power struggles, with Nikol Pashinyan as the chief conductor, who is forced to keep the bottle-collector at bay with one hand while standing behind the spitting Assembly Speaker with the other.