Armenian Parliament Passes 2016 State Budget Bill With ‘Sober Pragmatism’

Armenia's National Assembly on Wednesday approved the 2016 state budget bill.  A total of 97 MPs, majority of them members of the ruling Republican Party faction , supported the bill, 12 voted against it, and 3 abstained.

Lawmakers from Heritage, Armenian National Congress, and Rule of Law factions voted against the bill’s passage; while Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) MPs refused to vote altogether. 

“Our assessment of the budget is well known: the figures are unprecedentedly modest. This comes at a time when enhancing the efficiency of government management is of utmost importance. Since there will be those who heroically vote for and those who heroically vote against the bill, our faction will not vote at all,” ARF faction secretary Aghvan Vardanyan said.

Prosperous Armenia (PAP) faction leader Naira Zohrabyan responded to Vardanyan's comment, saying: “I don't think we're holding a parade of heroism here, and PAP will vote in favor of the bill with sober pragmatism.”