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On February 1, under the sounds of the anthem of the Republic of Armenia the opening of the ninth session of the NA fifth convocation was announced, and the parliament began the work of the first four-day sittings of the session.

At the beginning of the sitting the NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan informed that the RA Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan had submitted a resignation application to the National Assembly then, and according to the Article 6 “On Human Rights Defender,” he repeated the resignation application, which the National Assembly had accepted.

Afterwards the NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan touched upon the two Resolutions on Nagorno Karabakh conflict debated in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe last week, on January 26. You can get acquainted with the speech in the News section of the www.parliament.am website.

At the four-day first sittings of the Spring Session the National Assembly approved the draft agendas of the session and the four-day sittings, adopted by voting the NA draft decision on special order of debating within 24 hours after the first reading the debate of the draft law “On Amending the RA Law on Turnover Tax” in the second reading.

At the first sitting of the session, in accordance with the law NA Rules of Procedure, the NA Ad-hoc Accounting Committee was formed. The NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan proposed to reapprove the order functioning in the previous session, which was approved by voting.

The NA deputies also touched upon the item of forming of the NA Ad-hoc Committee on Ethics. The NA Speaker urged the factions to submit candidates to be included in the NA Ad-hoc Accounting Committee and the NA Ad-hoc Committee on Ethics.

The NA deputy, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Hovhannes Sahakyan presented the draft law “On the Order of Proposing Candidate to the National Assembly for Electing in the Post of the Human Rights Defender (HRD).”

The member of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Levon Martirosyan in his report has noted that the issue was debated in detail at the Committee and was endorsed.

The NA deputies Naira Zohrabyan, Rubik Hakobyan, Tevan Poghosyan, Zaruhi Postanjyan, Heghine Bisharyan and Nikol Pashinyan expressed their viewpoints on the issue.

The RA NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan delivered an extraordinary speech. The NA Speaker, assessing the sounded opinions, reminded his colleagues that by the new Constitution the authorized Committee proposes the HRD candidate, and one of the NA 12 Committees received new authority.

Edmon Marukyan has informed that he will propose Zaruhi Postanjyan’s candidacy for the election in the HRD post. Hovhannes Margaryan touched upon the order and the election of the HRD candidates’ nomination. Elinar Vardanyan talked about the legislation of the HRD Institute, presented her legal observations on the draft law. Artsvik Minasyan, as draft co-author, proposed that every member of the Committee will present one candidate for the HRD to debate in the Committee.

The Head of the Rule of Law Faction Heghine Bisharyan presented the viewpoint of the Faction.

The Head of the ANC Faction Levon Zurabyan has noted that the Faction has rejected the draft law and thinks that the NA Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs should be appointed an authorized committee.

On behalf of the PAP Faction the Head of the Faction Naira Zohrabyan highlighted the nomination of the candidates by the political forces.

The Head of the RPA Faction Vahram Baghdasaryan urged the MPs to debate the proposals at the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs.

In his final speech the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Hovhannes Sahakyan touched upon the constructive speeches relating to the draft law. The key speaker talked about the issue of organizing a debate on one or two candidates during the plenary sittings.

On February 2, the parliament will continue the work of the NA four-day sittings.