YEREVAN. – As a result of Tuesday’s secret ballot, ruling Republican Party of Armenia National Assembly (RPA NA) Faction Head Galust Sahakyan has been elected NA Speaker.  

Sukias Avetisyan, Chairman of the NA Committee on Counting, presented the results of the vote noting that 106 MPs participated in the voting, and two ballots were declared invalid.  

Sahakyan received 101 votes, whereas the other candidate, self-nominated Hrant Bagratyan from the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) Faction, received three votes. 

The opposition ANC, ARF Dashnaktsutyun, and Heritage Factions did not partake in the election, except for three opposition MPs. The non-pro-government Prosperous Armenia and the opposition Orinats Yerkir (Rule of Law) Factions, on the other hand, had stated that their MPs were free to choose on whether or not to participate in the voting, yet virtually all deputies of these two factions took part in the secret ballot.  

Galust Sahakyan was born in capital city Yerevan on April 8, 1948. He is married and has two children.