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WE HAVE A NEW OMBUDSMAN

Politics

As a result of the 1-hour voting in the NA member of the Justice Council, rector of the Governing Academy Armen Haroutyunyan was elected Ombudsman by a vote of 87 to 28. Hrant Khachatryan received 28 votes for and 87 against. One deputy was against both, and 2 ballots were announced invalid.

The coalition did a good work while securing quorum during today’s special session: never had so many deputies been registered during the existence of this Parliament. 121 deputies had arrived in the Parliament to realize their sacred mission of electing an Ombudsman.

At the beginning of the session the heads of the fractions made speech. Head of the National Unity Artashes Geghamyan highly appreciating Armen Haroutyunyan's merits announced that Hrant Khachatryan is a political-social worker and taking into account his impartiality noted that he will defend the rights of the people regardless of whether he is opposition or not. «In case of need he will defend Robert Kocharyan too». Mr. Geghamyan announced that they will protect the candidacy of Hrant Khachatryan.

Secretary of the Justice fraction Viktor Dallakyan agreed with these evaluations and demanded that the wooden ballot box be replaced by a plastic transparent one. He also demanded to remove the curtains in the voting hall and to put pens there, in order to avoid forgeries.

«Don’t bury the child before he is born», the NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan opposed. «If you announce the elections forged before they even took place, what will you say if Hrant Khachatryan is elected? ». On the whole, Arthur Baghdasaryan's speech reminded that of an opposition member. He said that «we must stop, we no more have the right to forge elections, let's fight for the legal vote, let's prove that we can hold fair elections». Tigran Torosyan made a similar speech and thanked Hrant Khachatryan for his candidacy irregardless of the results of the elections.

The Republican fraction, the Revolutionary Federation and the Orinats Yerkir Party announced that they will protect the candidacy of Armen Haroutyunyan. At the end of the discussion the candidates themselves made speech.