Armenian opposition fails to turn up for parliament session

YEREVAN, September 12. /ARKA/. Two opposition alliances – Hayastan (Armenia) and Pativ Unem (I Have Honor) - represented in the Armenian parliament - did not turn up today for the first autumn session of the National Assembly.

Earlier, the Hayastan alliance had announced its intention to continue the boycott of the National Assembly, started in April, when the opposition launched a campaign of what they call 'resistance movement' in another bid to make Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan step down.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the alliance said the current authorities impose on the National Assembly an agenda unrelated to the immediate threats facing Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), while the gross violations of the National Assembly’s regulations by the ruling Civil Contract party, disregard for international standards for holding sessions and outright abuse of power delegitimize the parliament as a representative body with a primary mandate.

On September 2, a Hayastan leader Ishkhan Saghatelyan announced the movement’s plan to get Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation through the parliament.

To launch this process, he said, the signatures of one-third of parliamentarians (36 people) was needed, while both opposition parliamentary factions control 35 seats, while impeachment requires the votes of 54 MPs. -0-