YEREVAN. - Armenian National Assembly (NA) Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan, who formally announced of his resignation on Monday, immediately left the parliament building afterward. And even though the news reporters were anticipating that Abrahamyan would converse with them and explain his motives, he did not comment on his resignation.   

Comments were not given also by NA Deputy Speaker Samvel Nikoyan, who is considered the most likely candidate for the now-vacant post, and ruling coalition’s Republican Party of Armenia’s female MP Hermine Naghdalyan, who is seen as the most probable Deputy Speaker nominee. Deputy Speaker’s office will become vacant if Nikoyan is elected new Speaker.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, in connection with Hovik Abrahamyan’s formal resignation, several NA staff members also submitted their letters of resignation.

They include NA Speaker’s Chief Advisor, Viktor Mnatsakanyan, Speaker’s assistant, Sergey Lokyan, and NA Cultural Affairs Person in Charge, Armine Antikyan.

To note, Hovik Abrahamyan handed in his resignation, and he addressed the MPs specifically as follows:

“Fully acknowledging the responsibility before the people, the [ruling coalition’s Republican] Party [of Armenia], and the President, I present my letter of resignation. Being elected NA Speaker, I announced the Parliament must work transparently, and let it not sound immodest [on my part], but it seems to me we have achieved that. This was a serious phase for me. I am confident NA would continue to be the defender of the interests of the state and people. Our country is entering the phase of regular elections, whose high-level conduct will be to the honor us all and, first and foremost, of the authorities. On numerous occasions, the authorities stated the holding of free and fair elections. Its political will exists.”