Armenia Parliament Erupts in Violence as Lawmakers Trade Blows

Chaos erupted in Armenia's parliament as lawmakers engaged in a physical altercation, with chairs being thrown and punches exchanged. The incident occurred after a member of the ruling Civil Contract party accused an opposition leader of corruption and alluded to a past proposal by the leader's cousin to establish a 'Ministry of Sex.'

Taron Chakhoyan, from the Civil Contract party, targeted Narek Karapetyan, leader of the Strong Armenia party, stating that those "people mired in corruption" were lecturing others. Chakhoyan pointed out that Karapetyan's entire family was involved in politics and referenced remarks made by Karapetyan's cousin, Sargis Karapetyan, on an Armenian podcast, where he advocated for the creation of a government ministry to "satisfy all women."

The exchange quickly escalated into a scuffle between Chakhoyan and Karapetyan, which then broadened into a larger fight involving MPs from both parties on the floor of the National Assembly. Speaker Ruben Rubinyan opted to keep the parliamentary session and its live broadcast running, stating, "I want everyone to see all of this."

The violence subsided when a chair was thrown in the direction of Deputy Speaker Vahagn Aleksanyan. Some lawmakers continued to brawl away from the cameras.

Following the incident, Chakhoyan apologized and characterized the opposition MPs as "hooligans." Conversely, Karapetyan defended the fight, calling it a "normal Armenian-style man-to-man fight" and stating that those who had been antagonizing them "got it right in the mouth."

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was not present during the debate, commented on the brawl, suggesting that the opposition MPs were "reaping what they sow" for failing to condemn the behavior of their colleagues. He issued a stern warning to anyone considering physical altercations in parliament, stating, "If anyone thinks they can raise a hand against a member of the National Assembly, hit them or do anything else, we will break that arm."

When asked by a journalist if this included using a chair, Pashinyan replied, "If necessary, with a chair. They should know their place. There are limits to everything."