Armenia’s new parliament to convene first session on January 14

The National Assembly of the Seventh Convocation will conduct its first session next Monday, January 14.

Twenty newly elected lawmakers, including eighteen members of Nikol Pashinyan's My Step bloc, have laid down their mandates, the chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Tigran Mukuchyan, said at a special meeting on Friday.

“Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Acting Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan, Chief of the Prime Minister’s Staff Eduard Aghajanyan, Acting Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Suren Papikyan, Head of the State Oversight Service David Sanasaryan, Acting Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Hakob Arshakyan, Acting Minister of Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakyan, Acting Minister of Education and Science Arayik Harutyunyan, Acting Minister of Nature Protection Erik Grigoryan, Acting Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan, Acting Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan, the deputy regional governor of Syunik, Narek Babayan, the regional governor of Vayots Dzor, Trdat Sargsyan, the regional governor of Ararat, Garik Sargsyan, the regional governor of Gegharkunik, Gnel Sanosyan, the regional governor of Aragatsotn, David Gevorgyan, the regional governor of Kotayk, Romanos Petrosyan and the regional governor of Lori, Andrey Ghukasyan, have submitted notices on returning their mandates,” he told the CEC members.

Also, two elected members of the Bright Armenia party, Christ Marukyan and Armen Baghdasaryan, will not be represented in the new parliament, Mukuchyan added.

Eleven political forces, including nine parties and two blocs, were running for parliament in the December 9 snap elections. My Step celebrated a landslide victory with 70.42% of the vote. Bright Armenia and the Prosperous Armenia party (PAP) received respectively 8.26% and 6.37%.

The former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and its one time ally in the coalition government, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D), failed to cross the 5% threshold (prescribed by the Electoral Code of Armenia) to win seats in the legislative.