29 October a mass brawl occurred in the National Assembly of Armenia between MPs from the ruling Civil Contract party and the opposition Strong Armenia faction. After the clash, an ambulance arrived at the parliament building, and the session resumed after a break.
HOW THE CONFLICT BEGAN
According to NEWS.am, the incident occurred during discussion of the election of a member of the Chamber of Audit. The atmosphere was inflamed by a speech from Civil Contract MP Taron Chakhoyan, who addressed the head of the Strong Armenia faction, Narek Karapetyan.
Chakhoyan reminded Karapetyan of a statement made by his cousin before the parliamentary elections. According to the MP, he had spoken of an intention to create a separate "ministry that would satisfy all women". Karapetyan reacted from his seat, after which the verbal exchange escalated into a physical confrontation.
HOW THE BRAWL DEVELOPED
MPs from both political forces took part in the scuffle. Among the participants in the clash were Chakhoyan and opposition representative Garnik Davtyan. Other parliamentarians also intervened in the brawl, trying to separate the participants. Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Vahe Aleksanyan threw a chair towards the opposition MPs.
The conflict continued in the corridors of parliament as well. Strong Armenia MP Andranik Gevorgyan was bleeding from the nose, and Ruben Mkhitaryan's clothing was torn. An ambulance arrived at the National Assembly building. Security staff attempted to restore order.
WHAT THE DEPUTY SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT SAID
After the break, the session resumed. Ruben Rubinyan stated that he had reviewed video recordings of the incident and had not found any offensive remarks in Chakhoyan's speech. He placed the main responsibility for starting the brawl on Narek Karapetyan, claiming that he had interrupted the speech and tried to hit Chakhoyan. This is Rubinyan's own assessment, voiced after reviewing the recordings.
HOW THE PRIME MINISTER REACTED
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan condemned the violence, but at the same time placed responsibility for what happened on the opposition and supported the actions of the Civil Contract MPs. In particular, he spoke in support of the actions involving the use of a chair during the clash.
