16:29 . 31/05
The speeches that the majority in NA has an aim to “optimize” the number of NA standing committees and to reduce it from 12 to 10 didn’t become a reality.
In accordance with NA Regulations-Law, during its first session the new parliament decides how many standing committees will function in the legislative body. After the NA deputy speakers were elected today, when the parliament passed to approving the number of the standing committees , RPA member Davit Harutyunyan proposed to keep the number unchanged. Armen Rustamyan from ARF-D spoke against the suggestion saying that the five-member factions, ARF-D and Heritage Party will face a problem in having representatives in all the committees, therefore it is necessary to reduce the number of the committees. Vahan Hovhannisyan, in turn, noted that the few opposition MPs included in the committees will not be able to settle an issue, but the important thing is the principle.
According to Davit Harutyunyan, in no parliament the opposition settles an issue but it only criticizes the authority.
ARF-D boycotted voting on the issue, while Davit Harutyunyan’s proposal was accepted with 77 votes for.
To recall, the number of the standing committees in the Fifth Convocation National Assembly increased from 9 to 12, so that Orinats Yerkir Party, which joined the coalition, can get portfolios. Today, OYP is in the ruling coalition, but they will not get posts of committee chairmen. This time already, according to NA regulations, the posts of the committee chairmen will be distributed according to Dont’s formula, which takes as a basis the number of MPs in the factions. RPA MPs will hold 8 of the posts of the 12 committee chairmen and the other 4 will go to PAP MPs.
