ANN/GROONG - THE PARLIAMENT NAMED ARMEN KHACHATRYAN AS NEW PARLIAMENT SPEAKER



YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS: During the Parliament's extraordinary
session scheduled for 5:00 P.M. November 2 Chairman of the
Parliament's Foreign Affairs Standing Commission Armen Khachatryan
from Unity Alliance, namely from Demirchian's People's Party, was
nominated for the post of the Parliament Speaker.

Tigran Torossyan from Unity Alliance, representing the Republican
Party headed by the late Premier Sarkissian and Gagik Aslanyan again
from Unity but on behalf of the People's Party were nominated for the
posts of Deputy Speakers.

The Unity Alliance, which is the leading political current in the
Parliament, was created on the threshold of the May 30 Parliamentary
elections by a merger between the People's Party led by former leader
of Soviet Armenia Karen Demirchian and the Republican Party led by the
Defense Minister Vazgen Sarkissian, who was offered the post of the
Prime Minister following the victory of the Unity Alliance in the
general elections.

Out of 123 MPs present at the session only 116 filled in bulletins for
the secret ballot. The voting results were as follows:

Armen Khachatryan - 103 votes "for," 3 votes "against" and 3 invalid
bulletins, Tigran Torossyan - 98 votes "for," 14 votes "against" and 4
invalid bulletins, Gagik Aslanyan - 103 votes "for,", 11 votes
"against" and 2 invalid bulletins.

Following the summarization of the voting results the newly elected
Parliament Speaker Armen Khachatryan, Deputy Speakers Tigran Torossyan
and Gagik Aslanyan thanked their colleagues for the confidence
entrusted with them and said they would continue the cause commenced
by their leaders who laid down victims of October 27 slaughter in the
Parliament House.

The three claimed they would continue working with the MPs and
government bodies to bail out the country from the created situation.

Following the end of the procedure, Armenia's President Robert
Kocharian extended his congratulations to the newly elected Speaker
and Deputy Speakers of the Parliament.