15:11, 4 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. First President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan on Tuesday called on the ruling Civil Contract party to oust Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan over his actions during an altercation with a passerby in Yerevan, which the former Armenian leader described as “the end of the state”, “disgusting” and “unforgivable”.

Parliament speaker Alen Simonian allegedly spat on Sunday at an opposition activist who branded him a “traitor” as he was walking near Cascade, a popular pedestrian area. Simonian’s security detail allegedly restrained the heckler as the speaker spat on his face.

In an article published on Tuesday, Ter-Petrosyan said that Simonyan committed an “unforgivable act”. He said that the ruling Civil Contract Party ought to oust Simonyan in order “not to entirely lose its reputation before the people.”

He branded Simonyan’s actions as “the biggest damage inflicted upon the state’s image, which can be corrected only through his ouster."

"This is the only way to restore our people’s honor before the international community,” Ter-Petrosyan added.