Epress.am News from Armenia
Opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) parliamentary faction announced on Monday a boycott of the four-day sittings of the National Assembly. Addressing ruling Republican Party MPs at the start of the December 7 session, ANC faction leader Levon Zurabyan stated that in the situation that has been created after Sunday's referendum on draft constitutional amendments, their party “cannot sit in the same room with you and work as usual.”
“The reason for the boycott is the shameful violation of the will of the people that occurred yesterday, when an entire arsenal of electoral fraud was used to falsify the constitutional referendum. There was mass ballot stuffing, there was use of violence, terror, bribery and…” Zurabyan's speech was interrupted by parliament speaker Galust Sahakyan who urged deputy NA speaker Eduard Sharmazanov to turn off the oppositionist's microphone, stating he had a “different point of view.”
Sharmazanov complied with the speaker's order, after which Levon Zurabyan, Aram Manukyan and Gagik Jhangiryan, three representatives of the 7-member ANC faction, left the National Assembly hall.