The brawl also spilled into the parliamentary corridor
The remark concerned a proposal to establish a separate “ministry to satisfy women” if the opposition came to power. Karapetyan, you failed to control your emotions, made offensive remarks from your seat, and then stood up and attempted to hit Taron Chakhoyan,” Rubinyan said, according to Armenpress. Rubinyan also said he had deliberately allowed the live broadcast to continue so the public could see what was happening inside parliament.
Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan later held Karapetyan primarily responsible for the incident, saying he had reviewed footage of the exchange during the break and found no offensive remarks in Chakhoyan’s speech. “Mr. He added that opposition MP Garnik Davtyan had struck Chakhoyan once the brawl began.
A heated exchange over a controversial election promise descended into a mass brawl in Armenia’s parliament on Wednesday, with lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition trading punches and kicks in a clash broadcast live. The incident took place on Thursday during a debate on the election of a member of the Audit Chamber, after ruling Civil Contract party MP Taron Chakhoyan referred to a pre-election remark by a relative of opposition leader Narek Karapetyan.
Chakhoyan reminded Karapetyan that his cousin had yet to apologise for the statement, according to Armenian news agency Armenpress. Karapetyan, who leads the opposition Strong Armenia faction, initially responded from his seat before approaching the podium, triggering a physical confrontation.