The three positions were reserved for the alliance headed by billionaire Samvel Karapetian in accordance with Armenian law.
The ruling Civil Contract party nominated and installed the heads of eight other parliament committees. It also enabled a candidate of the second opposition group represented in the National Assembly, the Hayastan alliance, to become the chairwoman of the remaining panel that deals with human rights.
By contrast, Civil Contract deputies nearly unanimously voted against all three Strong Armenia candidates in secret ballots that followed several days of question-and-answer sessions. The secretary of their parliamentary group, Volodya Hakobian, insisted that the candidates were rejected because of their statements, political views and other personal factors, rather than their political affiliation.
In particular, Hakobian noted that Davit Gazinian, who was nominated by Strong Armenia to run the parliament committee on local government, agriculture and environment, is being prosecuted on vote-buying charges denied by him.
Arega Hovsepoan, the Strong Armenia candidate as chairwoman of the committee on European integration, faced hostile questions and criticism from her pro-government colleagues on the parliament floor on Wednesday. The Nagorno-Karabakh-born lawmaker, who is a vocal critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, was grilled not only about Armenia’s relations with the European Union but also the conflict with Azerbaijan. Hakobian said she failed to dispel Civil Contract doubts about her commitment to European integration.
“I hope I don’t get elected,” Hovsepian told reporters shortly before the announcement of the parliament vote results.
Strong Armenia’s parliamentary leader, Narek Karapetian, said later in the day that the opposition bloc will field other candidates for the three posts.
Another senior member of the bloc, Aram Vartevanian, was elected a deputy speaker of the parliament on August 10. He has still not been allowed to chair any of its sittings. Speaker Ruben Rubinian and his two other deputies are affiliated with the ruling party.
While chairing parliament sessions, they routinely make scathing comments on speeches delivered by opposition lawmakers. The practice, which was rare in Armenia’s past legislatures, prompted vehement objections from Strong Armenia’s Ghazinian on Wednesday. Pro-government vice-speaker Vahagn Aleskanian responded by forcing him to leave the parliament floor. The other Strong Armenia lawmakers and their colleagues from Hayastan walked out in protest.