YEREVAN — The Central Election Commission (CEC) formally registered on Thursday the 107 members of Armenia’s new parliament, among them two arrested opposition figures, which was elected on June 20.
Seventy-one of them represent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party, the official winner of the snap elections. Former President Robert Kocharian’s Hayastan alliance and the Pativ bloc co-headed by former President Serzh Sarkisian and former National Security Service Director Artur Vanetsyan will control 29 and 7 parliament seats respectively.
Pashinyan congratulated the two opposition forces on entering the National Assembly when he chaired a weekly session of his cabinet earlier in the day. He said he is prepared to work with them in a way that would exclude “hate speech” and insults.
The new parliament is scheduled to hold its inaugural session on August 2. Pashinyan’s party has already announced that it will install one of its leading members, Alen Simonyan, as parliament speaker.
The ruling party has also designated two of the parliament’s three vice-speakers: Ruben Rubinyan and Hakob Arshakiyan. Both men are affiliated with Civil Contract.
Under Armenian law, the third vice-speaker must represent the opposition minority.
Meanwhile, Kocharian chaired the first meeting of Hayastan’s parliamentary group. It was announced afterwards that the group will be led by former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan.
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