A heated exchange between ruling-party and opposition lawmakers in Armenia ‘s parliament escalated into a physical brawl on Thursday, with MPs exchanging punches and kicks during a parliamentary session.
The brawl reportedly broke out during a debate on electing a member of the Audit Chamber, after ruling Civil Contract faction MP Taron Chakhoyan referred to a controversial pre-election statement made by the cousin of opposition lawmaker Narek Karapetyan, Armenian news agency Armenpress reported. Several purported videos from inside Parliament surfaced on social media, showing lawmakers engaging in physical confrontations, exchanging punches and throwing chairs at one another. Reports also suggested that some MPs were injured in the clashes. Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan later blamed Karapetyan for initiating the confrontation. Rubinyan also accused opposition MP Garnik Davtyan of hitting Chakhoyan during the altercation. “During the break, I watched all the footage and listened carefully to Taron Chakhoyan’s speech. I did not identify a single offensive remark in it. Mr. Narek Karapetyan, you failed to control your emotions, made offensive remarks from your seat, and then stood up and attempted to hit Taron Chakhoyan. Then, when the brawl began, Garnik Davtyan struck Taron Chakhoyan. Mr. Karapetyan, you are primarily responsible for what happened.
He said the opposition lawmaker had made offensive remarks and attempted to strike Chakhoyan. You started this brawl by interrupting a lawmaker’s speech,” Rubinyan said, addressing opposition Strong Armenia faction leader Narek Karapetyan. Rubinyan said he had allowed the live broadcast to continue during the incident so the public could see what was happening inside parliament.
The remark prompted a response from Karapetyan, who interrupted Chakhoyan’s speech, triggering a heated exchange that escalated into violence.
Chakhoyan recalled a proposal to establish a separate “ministry to satisfy women” if the opposition came to power, according to the news agency.
