N. Pashinyan demands from the NA President not to display discrimination (video)
Today the NA began discussing the revised and amended bill on 2016 State Budget. The Armenian National Congress (HAK) lawmaker Nikol Pashinyan noted that recently the NA President has regularly cited the Rules of Procedure of the NA and has switched off the microphones of the representatives of the opposition by explaining that it was done to maintain the regular course of work, “I want to cite the Rules of Procedure of the NA that at the discussion of the state budget either Prime Minister or the Head of the Financial structure must present it. There is no provision in the Rules of Procedure that the bill must be presented by the Deputy Minister of Finance Pavel Safaryan.” The NA President Galust Sahakyan announced that he doesn’t switch off the microphones of the opposition lawmakers but the microphones of those who speak out of topic, “And it doesn’t matter who is the lawmaker. As for the speech of Prime Minister, you cited the provision from the Rules of Procedure, which corresponds to the current situation: Pavel Safaryan is in the leadership, the Government chose him for making speech.” Nikol Pashinyan replied, “We don’t yearn for speeches of Prime Minister or the Minister, it is simply an issue of the Rules of Procedure. Yesterday, when during his speech the Minister of Education and Science was replying to Zaruhi Postanjyan’s speech, during which her microphone was switched off, Sharmazanov didn’t interrupt Ashotyan, who was also speaking out of topic. Mr. Sahakyan, maintain the principle for everybody. Otherwise, the Chairman of the CC isn’t always present, Yerevan Mayor has urgent work. I think there is no other place more important than the NA.” Galust Sahakyan began justifying the behavior of Armen Ashotyan, “He was the rapporteur and has the right to it. Mr. Pashinyan there is no one who criticizes more acutely than you, but if the speech is courteous, criticism is even out of question: every courteous speech is acceptable for the NA.”
