FAREWELL

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
20 Sep 2008
Armenia

In its extraordinary session convened yesterday, the Parliament
publicized Tigran Torosyan’s resignation.

Article 20 of the `NA Regulations’ particularly specifies the
procedures of terminating the competences of the NA Speaker.

Under Section 2 of the Article, `The notice on the resignation of the
NA Speaker is officially submitted to the person presiding over the
session. This person publicizes the notice during the nearest meeting
of the National Assembly. Upon the expiry of the five-day time-limit:

a) The resignation of the NA Speaker is considered accepted in case of
submitting a second notice;

b) In case of not submitting a second notice, the person presiding over
the session informs the National Assembly about this in the nearest
meeting, and the resignation of the NA Speaker is declared null and
void.

As you know, NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan convened a press conference on
September 16, just a few hours before the session of the RPA Council,
and declared of his intention of quitting the ranks of the Republican
Party and resigning from the post of the Speaker of the Parliament.

Obviously, the extraordinary session of the National Assembly was
yesterday convened by the initiative of the Government with the purpose
of giving Tigran Torosyan the opportunity to officially hand in his
resignation without having to wait20till the regular four-day session
that’s going to be held on September 29. The agenda of the
extraordinary session also testifies to that; 5 of the 8 issues
included therein envisaged the voting of the laws that had already been
discussed, and the other three issues – the discussion of 3 drafts
laws. It took the parliament no more than an hour and half to exhaust
the entire agenda.

Despite his resignation publicized three days before, Tigran Torosyan
took the seat of the NA Speaker, conducted all the 5 discussions
envisaged by the agenda and only thereafter declared about his
resignation.

Before transferring the right to preside over the NA session to Arevik
Petrosyan, Tigran Torosyan accentuated several points. `Since I have
already read out my resignation notice and everybody is familiar with
it, I don’t think there is any need to read it out once again now. Let
me note that under our regulations, we have to wait for 5 days from now
on. If, within five days, the notice is submitted again, it will enter
into force. I also want to declare that, as I have previously
mentioned, I am withdrawing from the RPA faction.’

After finishing his statement, Mr. Torosyan lingered a few minutes,
sitting on the chair of the NA Speaker, and then heavily stood up and
left the hall through the special passage leading to the Speaker’s
office.