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Why Orinats Yerkir MPs are Not Attending Parliamentary Meetings

Orinats Yerkir (Rule of Law, or OEK) deputies have been requently absent from the last two parliamentary sessions. Journalists at the National Assembly today tried to find out the reasons for the absences from OEK vice chair Heghine Bisharyan.

“I’m happy that you notice the absence of deputies, but our 4 MPs have always been present. Well, let them miss two sessions — they are busy in committees drafting important laws,” she said.

Weighing in on the adoption of the bill on emergency rule in parliament yesterday, speculating why some lawmakers might be opposed to the bill.

“Just as there’s a similar law [in countries] around the world, so too there should be in Armenia — it’s an important law,” she said, adding that if opponents find provisions in the law to be unconstitutional, they can appeal to the Constitutional Court.

Addressing the most controversial aspect of the law, that the army can be called in during a state of emergency, Bisharyan said the army will be utilized to protect the people and not to come out against it.