Armenian opposition to challenge parliament speaker’s election at Constitutional Court
YEREVAN, August 3. /ARKA/. Armenian opposition alliances Hayastan (Armenia) and Pativ Unem (I Have Honor), which boycotted yesterday’s election of speaker of the National Assembly, said they will appeal to the Constitutional Court to challenge the results of the election held during the first session of the new parliament on August 2.
The National Assembly elected Alen Simonyan from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyna’s Civil Contract as speaker. The opposition alliances nominated two Hayastan members elected to the parliament, Mkhitar Zakaryan and Artur Sargsyan, for the post. Zakaryan and Sargsyan ran two communities in the southern province of Syunik. Both were arrested three weeks ago on separate criminal charges.
Citing Article 96 of the Constitution which says that an MP may not be deprived of liberty without the consent of the National Assembly, the opposition lawmakers argued that Zakaryan and Sargsyan were arrested illegally.
"As we warned yesterday, if the election of the speaker are held without our candidates, we will appeal to the Constitutional Court to declare them unconstitutional. Secondly, we will appeal to the Constitutional Court to testify the illegality of depriving deputies of freedom, despite immunity," a member of the Hayastan alliance Artsvik Minasyan said.
However, an MP Vladimir Vartanyan from the Civil Contract, dismissed the opposition demands, saying that Zakarian and Sargsyan were arrested before formally becoming parliament members and therefore do not enjoy immunity prosecution.
Another Hayastan lawmaker Aram Vardevanyan claimed in turn, that the elections were illegal also due to an error found in the ballot paper. According to him, the election should have been organized again, which did not happen.
The first attempt to elect a speaker failed because of an error discovered in the name of one of the candidates. The repeat election was organized on the same day, a little later.
Hayk Mamijanyan from Pativ Unem supported the Hayastan alliance saying that they will also take part in challenging the election of speaker.
Armenia’s National Assembly comprises the Civil Contract party, which won 53.91% of the votes (71 seats), the Hayastan (Armenia) bloc (29 seats), and the Pativ Unem (I have Honor) bloc (7 seats).
The parliament consists of 107 lawmakers, down from 132 in the previous parliament.
Hakob Arshakyan (former minister of high-tech industry) and Ruben Rubinyan (former chairman of the standing committee of the National Assembly on foreign relations) are set to become two vice-speakers from the majority faction. -0-
