Parliament votes down bill on creation of March 1 commission

The Armenian parliament voted down the bill on the creation of a commission to investigate the March 1-2 events in Yerevan. The Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) faction voted against the bill.

The HHK faction head Galust Sahakian said the bill was repeatedly discussed, but there are some problems with it so HHK faction will vote against the bill.

Deputy of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction Gagik Jangirian said for his part that of 7 proposals made by the majority, 6.5 were accepted. The rejected proposal was the one, by which investigators and prosecutors may not be summoned to the commission.

The head of HAK faction Levon Zurabian said HHK promised in late December to pass the bill after the electoral cycle.
“We consider the refusal to pass the bill as a breach of faith. The vote shows who was responsible for the March 1 events. This vote shows that HHK was responsible for the events,” Zurabian noted.

There were 48 votes in favor, 58 against, and two abstentions.