YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) convened a special session Saturday and, as a result, it designated National Assembly (NA) majority by-elections in capital city Yerevan’s Electoral District No.1 and in Gyumri city’s Electoral District No.35. 

The decision was reached based upon NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan’s protocols on the termination of the parliamentary mandates of MPs Samvel Balasanyan and Ruben Hayrapetyan, CEC press service informs.  

The CEC designated December 2 as the date for these by-elections, and it approved the schedule for preparing and holding this voting.  

To note, the MP seat from Gyumri’s Electoral District No.35 had become vacant because Samvel Balasanyan was elected Mayor of Gyumri, and the MP mandate from Yerevan’s Electoral District No.1 had become vacant because Ruben Hayrapetyan had submitted a petition to renounce his parliamentary seat because of a tragic incident that occurred in the capital’s Harsnaqar restaurant.  

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, an incident had occurred at Harsnaqar Restaurant Complex on June 17, where several military doctors including Edgar Mikoyan, Arkadi Aghajanyan, Garik Soghomonyan, Artak Bayadyan and Vahe Avetyan were brutally beaten by security personnel. And Vahe Avetyan died in hospital on June 29.

Subsequently, a criminal lawsuit was filed and, now, six people are standing trial.

The Restaurant’s owner is RPA MP, Football Federation of Armenia President, and businessman Ruben Hayrapetyan, who on July 4 had formally submitted his resignation from his parliamentary seat in connection with this incident.