Armenia’s parliament descended into chaos on Thursday, October 29, as lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition traded punches and kicks during a televised session, forcing the proceedings to be suspended. The confrontation, broadcast live, spilled from the chamber floor into the corridors of the National Assembly building, and an ambulance was later seen arriving at the parliament.
The brawl broke out during a debate on the election of a member to the country’s Audit Chamber, a normally routine piece of parliamentary business. Instead, a heated exchange over a controversial pre-election remark turned a working session into a mass fistfight, with security personnel and fellow lawmakers struggling to separate the rival camps.
Key Takeaways
- Armenia’s parliament erupted into a mass brawl on Thursday, October 29, during a debate on electing a member to the Audit Chamber.
- The clash began after ruling-party MP Taron Chakhoyan raised a controversial pre-election remark linked to opposition leader Narek Karapetyan’s relative.
- Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan later blamed Karapetyan for triggering the confrontation, and the session was suspended.
How the Confrontation Began
According to reports from the session, the trouble started when ruling Civil Contract party MP Taron Chakhoyan referred to a remark made by a relative of opposition leader Narek Karapetyan. The remark concerned a proposal to establish a separate ministry to satisfy women if the opposition came to power, an idea that had already drawn sharp criticism during the election campaign.
Chakhoyan reminded Karapetyan that his cousin had yet to apologise for the proposal. Karapetyan, who leads the opposition Strong Armenia faction, first responded from his seat and then approached the podium, and the verbal exchange quickly turned physical. Lawmakers from both camps began trading punches and kicks as the argument escalated beyond control.
Footage of the incident, which circulated widely on social media, showed the scale of the disorder inside the chamber. At one point a chair was also thrown during the melee, according to video footage described by news outlets covering the session. The scenes drew attention far beyond Armenia, coming in the same week that opposition MPs in Albania blocked the podium and fired flares during their own parliament protest.
The Brawl Spills Into the Corridors
The fighting did not stay on the chamber floor. As lawmakers clashed, the confrontation spilled into the parliamentary corridors, where security guards and other members tried to pull the two sides apart. The session was suspended as order broke down completely.
Reports from the aftermath described injuries among the lawmakers involved. Opposition MP Andranik Gevorgyan was seen with a bleeding nose, while fellow opposition lawmaker Ruben Mkhitaryan’s clothes were reportedly torn during the scuffle. An ambulance arrived at the parliament building following the confrontation, although no official account of injuries or disciplinary action had been published in the immediate reports.
The session was suspended, the brawl spilled into the corridors, and an ambulance arrived at the parliament building.
The Speaker’s Response
Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan later addressed the chamber and placed the blame squarely on Karapetyan. Rubinyan said he had reviewed footage of the exchange during a break in proceedings and concluded that Chakhoyan’s speech had contained no offensive remarks. He said Karapetyan had failed to control his emotions, had made offensive remarks from his seat, and had then stood up and attempted to hit Chakhoyan.
The Speaker also alleged that opposition MP Garnik Davtyan had struck Chakhoyan after the brawl had begun. Rubinyan added that he had deliberately allowed the live broadcast to continue so that the public could see exactly what was happening inside parliament, rather than cutting the feed as the fighting unfolded.
The incident underlines how sharply tensions have risen between Armenia’s ruling party and its opposition, with parliamentary proceedings repeatedly turning into flashpoints. Elsewhere, parliaments have also been at the centre of dramatic decisions this week, including Egypt’s parliament authorising military support for Saudi Arabia amid the region’s security crisis.
- The brawl erupted during a debate on electing a member to Armenia’s Audit Chamber.
- It was triggered by a remark about a relative’s controversial pre-election proposal.
- Punches and kicks were exchanged, and the fight spilled into the corridors.
- Opposition MP Andranik Gevorgyan was reported to have a bleeding nose.
- Speaker Ruben Rubinyan blamed opposition leader Narek Karapetyan and kept the live broadcast running.
What to Watch Next
What happens next will depend on how the parliament’s leadership handles the aftermath of a session that ended in suspension rather than a vote. The reports so far describe the blame laid by the Speaker, the injuries reported among opposition lawmakers, and a broadcast that the public watched live, but they do not yet describe any disciplinary action or an official injury count.
The questions now are the ones the article itself leaves open: whether the Speaker announces any formal response to the lawmakers involved, whether the Audit Chamber election debate resumes once order is restored, and whether the ruling party and the opposition can return to the chamber without another confrontation. Until those answers emerge, the brawl stands as the latest sign of how bitter Armenia’s parliamentary divisions have become.