Armenia: Public TV chief resigns after PM’s live speech rehearsal leaks

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Executive Director of Armenia’s Public TV Company has resigned amid a scandal which began after footage from the dress rehearsal of a live speech from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan leaked online.

Pashinyan addressed the nation live on Friday, April 17 in which he summarized the government’s projects aimed at easing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy.

But footage from the dress rehearsal leaked online just hours after the live broadcast, which showed the Prime Minister coughing and preparing for the message.

Pashinyan’s office was quick to demand an explanation from the Public TV Company, which was filming and transmitting his address, but the TV station revealed that eight other stations had access to the dress rehearsal and the live broadcast, as demanded by the Prime Minister’s staff.

The Public TV said the Prime Minister should have been warned by his staff that they were already filming, but that his spokesperson failed to do so due to miscommunication.

As a result, Margarita Grigoryan, Executive Director of the Public Television of Armenia, submitted her resignation on Monday.