“Slid” the vote
"It seems you have decided to impede our session," NA Chairman Hovik Abrahamyan told Vahan Hovhannisyan after he asked for a subsequent 20-minute break.
In response, the head of the ARF faction said: "No faction can reach a level of schizophrenia to decide to impede a session. Even if I did take such a decision, I would be standing at the podium and you would only be able to bring me down with the help of the police and two or three of them would be in critical condition."
After this, Hovik Abrahamyan was forced to uphold his "request" and declare a 20-minute break.
During the next 20-minute "bargaining", all government officials left the hall and Hovik Abrahamyan wished fruitful activities to the Prime Minister and the ministers.
It seemed that the government felt "uneasy" and decided to leave, but only after a while did it become clear that the deputies had voted for and confirmed the executive of the 2009 state budget.
"They slid the draft law, while we were busy making corrections in the session being headed with violations of rules and regulations," ARF Deputy Armen Rustamyan told "A1+".
In an exclusive interview with "A1+", NA Chairman Hovik Abrahamyan noted that the oppositional factions are taking advantage of their right and there is nothing strange. "This goes to show that we are a democratic country and the NA is democratic," said Hovik Abrahamyan.
As for "sliding" the vote for the 2009 budget executive, Abrahamyan said: "What do you mean we "slid" it? They should have listened more carefully when I was reading," said the NA Chairman.
Deputies of both the HHK (Republican Party of Armenia) and "Bargavach Hayastan" party hadn't understood that the budget executive was up for a vote and it became crystal clear when Anahit Bakhshyan asked the NA Secretariat for a summary of voting results. That was where it became clear that ARF Deputy Ruzan Arakelyan had voted for, but demanded a correction.
Ten minutes before the big break at 1:30 p.m. "Heritage" MP Larisa Alaverdyan asked for another 20-minute break due to "heated discussions within factions regarding the draft laws put up for votes." Hovik Abrahamyan lost patience, denied Alaverdyan and began the discussion on changes in the law on "Language" included in the agenda.
In response to the boycotting of the opposition today, the faction of HHK (Republican Party of Armenia) boycotted the vote for the ARF's interpellation on gas supply. It was denied with 26 for, 1 against and 2 neutral.
