Non-coalition forces thwart target social benefits vote at parliament

June 18, 2014 - 17:24 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Members of the movement against funded pensions have gathered in front of Armenia’s Parliament to voice their protest at the government-submitted bill replacing funded pensions with “target social benefits”, Tert.am reported.

The movement member Gevorg Gorgisyan told reporters that the movement is thinking of its further steps. The activists may block the entrance.

Members of the four non-coalition parliamentary forces informed the protesters that the four forces disrupted the voting on the bill on target social benefits.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARFD) parliamentary group member Artsvik Minasyan told reporters that none of the MPs is informed of the content of the bill.

“We also noticed that the bill was not in conformity with the Constitution. Moreover, none of the MPs was informed of the bill, and they could not discuss it. The four succeeded in disrupting the voting two times. The majority was forced not to put any issue to the vote today,” he said.

Minasyan is sure that the four forces will not allow any vote on the bill at least until the public has been well informed of the bill.

“Besides, the document does not meet our political demands nor the Supreme Court’s ruling,” he added.

Head of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) parliamentary group Levon Zurabyan said that it has been the first voting that the non-coalition forces succeeded to disrupt.

“This is the first time that the parliamentary majority is unable to push something through. The fact is that they may face a quorum problem any moment.”

Prosperous Armenia parliamentary group member Mikael Melkumyan noted that there is no official document to discuss now.

Heritage parliamentary group member Ruben Hakobyan said that the four forces defended the Rules of Procedure, which causes a crisis and the voting failed.