Armenian parliament majority ‘divided’ on ouster of opposition MPs, speaker says

Panorama
Armenia –

The Armenian parliament leadership affiliated with the ruling Civil Contract party will soon discuss stripping opposition lawmakers boycotting parliament sessions of their seats, Speaker Alen Simonyan told reporters on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, he said the parliament majority is “divided” on the matter.

"We are going to discuss both within the faction and the board whether or not to strip opposition MPs of their seats, since the law provides such an opportunity. There are two points of view on this matter. Some believe that the opposition has already stripped itself of its mandates in one way or another. I myself do not imagine how our colleagues can return to this hall after setting the bar so high and failing,” he said.

"But there is a second point of view, which boils down to the need to "finish off" what they have done. But it all depends on the outcome of the debates,” Simonyan said.

He said at least 10 opposition lawmakers may be formally accused of absenteeism.