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MP Edmon Marukyan from the opposition Bright Armenia Party accused the National Assembly speaker of inaction in the wake of political tensions in the country.

Speaking to reporters at the parliament on Friday, he said Ararat Mirzoyan fails to take action to ease tensions and restore political or civil solidarity in the country following the demand of the army’s top brass for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s and his cabinet’s resignation.

His comments came after Mirzoyan failed to show up for a special sitting of a parliament council initiated by the two opposition factions – Bright Armenia and Prosperous Armenia – to discuss the ongoing developments and look for solutions.

“He fails to take any steps, and as far as I understand, he is unable to take any steps to de-escalate tensions at some extent. Opposition factions of the National Assembly initiated an extraordinary sitting to transfer political processes from the street to a political institution [National Assembly, ed.]. All statements from the authorities about the need for discussions are hypocrisy. Imagine, a person does not even bother coming and opening the sitting to announce there is no quorum,” Marukyan said.

The lawmaker described the speaker’s move as disrespect for the two opposition factions of the parliament.

“This is a constitutional institution and is the sole legitimate institution in the country at this point. Who would possibly benefit from making the institution dysfunctional?” he said.

Marukyan also unveiled plans to meet with Armenia’s president today to discuss what is going on in the country.

He expressed conviction that the situation cannot be resolved when officials or state institutions fail to properly fulfil their duties, also calling attention to the failure of the National Security Council chief to react to the latest developments.