In the newly elected parliament, political debates frequently transcend the bounds of civility, accompanied by offensive language. Despite calls made during the inaugural session to remain constructive and uphold ethics, tensions among deputies are not subsiding. Recently, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan cut off the microphone of opposition deputy Edgar Ghazaryan due to silence.
Ghazaryan asserts that there is selective treatment within the parliament. According to him, the ruling power crosses the boundaries of legality when it begins to edit a deputy's speech. At the same time, Levon Kocharyan, a deputy from the "Hayastan" faction, observes that there are no constructive discussions because the government continues to focus on past events. According to Kocharyan, it is difficult to be polite when political opponents spread lies on Facebook and exhibit insolence.
Pro-government deputy Taron Chakhoyan insists that the Civil Contract party is in favor of civil debate, but stresses that it cannot be one-sided. In his view, the response will be proportional. "Whatever reaction comes from the opposition, the response from the government will be the same," he noted, adding that the ruling wing will not remain in the role of a passive bystander.
During today's session, the tension was palpable once again during Chakhoyan's speech. Deputies accuse each other of subjectivity, citing incidents that occurred during the previous convocation. The political factions remain divided over the idea of starting from a "zero point."
These ongoing parliamentary exchanges show that political forces have yet to find common ground to overcome the tensions of previous years. When the debate shifts into the realm of personal insults, the question arises whether there is the political will to abandon the "eye for an eye" logic of striking back at one's opponent.
Subsequent sessions will reveal whether the newly elected deputies will succeed in restraining their emotions or if the debate will once again descend into physical clashes and scandals, which naturally disrupts the normal flow of legislative work.
