Opposition blames ruling party for provoking MP Kocharyan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Head of the Armenia opposition faction in Parliament, Seyran Ohanyan, stated that the recent behavior of MP Levon Kocharyan during a parliamentary session was a result of provocation by ruling party deputies.

He emphasized that Kocharyan’s remarks stemmed from anger and that no internal discussion has taken place regarding his resignation.

“Kocharyan gave a calm speech, expressed his views, and responded to provocations personally initiated by Nikol Pashinyan,” Ohanyan said. “He accused MPs of being ‘thugs’ and threatened to expel a female opposition member. Such language is unacceptable both in personal relationships and from state leaders.”

Ohanyan described Kocharyan’s reaction as an appropriate emotional response to the hostile environment in Parliament, characterized by what he called a “mob mentality” driven by the ruling party’s numerical advantage. He added that internal discussions with Kocharyan will be held, but resignation was not on the table.

Meanwhile, ruling Civil Contract faction secretary Artur Hovhannisyan commented on statements by fellow MP Arsen Torosyan, who recently said a “political vendetta” was inevitable. Hovhannisyan explained that this meant fulfilling their political commitments until the end, which would result in the political “elimination” of opposition figures.

He said that this was not comparable to any personal retaliation. “Torosyan is fighting for Armenia’s sovereignty and independence,” he said. “Don’t compare Levon Kocharyan’s vulgar insults with Arsen Torosyan’s language. Kocharyan used an explicit sexual slur—that was the cause of the incident.”

The incident began with a verbal exchange between Deputy Speaker Hakob Arshakyan and opposition MP Levon Kocharyan, which escalated into a physical altercation between ruling and opposition lawmakers.