YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–According to National Assembly (NA) regulations–opposition members of Armenia’s parliament or factions opposing the work of the body must boycott individual votes on issues rather than entire sessions–clarified NA Vice Speaker and Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisian. Their absence is otherwise considered to be in bad faith–explained Hovhannisian–speaking at the National Press Club.
Hovhannisian did not rule out the possibility of depriving the absent MPs of mandates. "Of course–application of these sanctions depends on the decision of the NA Chairman and the entire parliament?I do not know whether the issue will be placed on the NA’s agenda; if so–it will be done within the framework of the law," he said.
"The right to boycott is the right of each MP and political faction," stressed Hovhannissian–"but the methods displayed by the opposition today make it impossible to call it a parliamentary boycott because the parliamentary opposition is struggling in the street–not in the parliament."