Counting Commission to Appeal Armenian Parliament’s Ratification of Russian Gas Deal

The Counting Commission of Armenia's National Assembly met on Thursday and declared null and void the Commission's decision on the counting of votes for a parliamentary vote on the agreement between the Armenian and Russian governments regarding the purchase and sale of ArmRosGazprom shares.

The meeting was attended by members of the parliamentary opposition: Armenian National Congress (HAK), Heritage Party, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF-D or Dashnaktsutyun), and the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). They also elected a new chair, HAK MP Lyudmila Sargsyan, saying that the previous chair, Sukias Avetisyan, exceeded his powers. The two ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and one Rule of Law party members were not present at the meeting.

The four parliamentary factions intend to appeal to the Constitutional Court to recognize the ratification of the treaty as invalid.