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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has reacted to the brawl in Armenia’s parliament, condemning violence while placing full responsibility for the incident on the parliamentary opposition and praising the actions of his Civil Contract faction.
“I condemn violence, but I support the measures taken by the Civil Contract faction today, because being in the opposition does not mean that one should become insolent,” he said at a press briefing.
“When a member of the Strong Armenia parliamentary faction behaved insolently from the parliamentary podium and refused to apologize despite appeals, requests and calls to do so, it was clear that this was how it would end. I place full responsibility for what happened on the opposition and, yes, I welcome the actions of Civil Contract faction MPs,” he added.
“Whether with a chair or something else, it is proportionate and right,” Pashinyan said, referring to Deputy Speaker Vahagn Aleksanyan from Civil Contract throwing a chair during the brawl.
Tensions escalated in parliament on October 29 during an exchange of views on the election of a member of the Audit Chamber. The incident occurred while Taron Chakhoyan, a Civil Contract faction MP, was speaking.
Chakhoyan reminded Karapetyan that his cousin had yet to apologize for a statement made before the parliamentary elections in which he said that, if they came to power, they intended to establish a separate “ministry to satisfy women.”
Karapetyan began speaking from his seat and then approached the podium.
A brawl subsequently broke out.