Speaker Simonyan says he will not take his parliamentary seat

Armenia parliament speaker Alen Simonyan will not take the mandate, not be in the new legislature, AzerNEWS reports.

"I wished to continue serving as the Speaker of the National Assembly, given that I've held the position longer than anyone else in history and completed my full term. I believe my five years of work should have continued. However, there is a party and a board involved in the decision-making process."

At a press briefing today in the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, the Speaker, responded to whether he felt disappointed that the ruling Civil Contract party opted for another individual, the current deputy speaker Ruben Rubinyan, to take over as speaker in the new parliament of Armenia.

“I respect the decision of my party board and will not continue in my role as Speaker of the National Assembly. I don’t feel any upset; I think change is a necessary part of the working process. I believe that at some point, I’ll find a way to contribute to our country and our party. I have spoken with the Prime Minister and the party board, and I have decided not to take the parliamentary mandate and will not serve in the National Assembly as a member,” Simonyan stated.

He emphasized that for now, he simply wants to take a break.