More than a hundred Armenian parliamentarians ignored the session for the second day in a row.
Only three out of 107 members of the Armenian parliament attended today's session. Low turnout and the lack of a quorum were recorded for the second day in a row amid preparations for the elections to the new National Assembly.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the Armenian parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 7. Seventeen parties and two blocs have been admitted. The "Strong Armenia" bloc of businessman Samvel Karapetyan, the "Armenia" bloc of former President Robert Kocharyan, and the "Prosperous Armenia" party of oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan are the most pro-Russian participants in the upcoming elections. According to analysts, the parties of Samvale Karapetyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Robert Kocharyan will be key competitors in the elections.
The June elections will effectively be a referendum on the future of Nikol Pashinyan's rule and Armenia's foreign policy. At stake is the current team's continued power or its transfer to the opposition, which promises to reconsider key decisions of recent years, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia".
Five deputies attended the first session, three attended the second.
Today, the National Assembly session did not begin for the second day in a row due to a lack of quorum. Only three MPs registered for the meeting, while 54 MPs are required to hold the meeting, Novosti-Armenia reports.
We don't have a quorum
"We don't have a quorum. According to the National Assembly's regulations, registration continues until the required number of MPs is reached, but no more than four hours. Therefore, we have this opportunity," the publication quotes Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Hakob Arshakyan as saying.
Yesterday, May 26, the meeting did not take place because only five of the 107 MPs showed up. Most MPs are busy campaigning, News.am reported that day.
The meeting agenda includes discussion of amendments to the Tax Code and other laws.
The four-day session of the outgoing parliament formally began on May 26. The agenda includes 35 issues, five of which will be discussed in the second and final reading, and the rest in the first.
These include a package of amendments to the laws "On the Regulation of Gambling Activities," "On Accreditation," and "On Livestock Breeding," a bill amending the Tax Code, and a package of bills amending the law "On Local Self-Government in the City of Yerevan," the publication writes.
As a reminder, the Armenian opposition remains fragmented amid the campaign that began on May 8 and the increasing pressure: the main opposition parties are fighting for votes and political leadership. Representatives of the "Strong Armenia" and "Armenia" blocs emphasized the importance of partnership with Russia but stressed the need for an independent national policy.
The promises of the four main political forces participating in the parliamentary elections focused on reducing poverty, creating new jobs, increasing pensions, and increasing GDP. Analysts believe that most of these promises are simply populist. The "second league" parties, which have fewer supporters than the ruling party's main opponents, in their election platforms announced an end to pressure on the church, reform of the judicial system, and strengthening the country's security, including revising the terms of the peace treaty with Baku. Political analysts predicted that not all of these four parties will be able to enter parliament.