YEREVAN — Armenia's parliament descended into fisticuffs on Thursday, October 29, 2026, live on TV — the third brawl inside the National Assembly this month.
The confrontation erupted during a debate on electing a member of the Audit Chamber, the body overseeing public spending.
According to Armenpress, ruling Civil Contract MP Taron Chakhoyan reminded opposition leader Narek Karapetyan, head of the Strong Armenia faction, of a pre-election remark attributed to a relative, a cousin of Karapetyan about establishing a ministry to "satisfy women" if opposition came to power. Chakhoyan said the relative had yet to apologise.
Karapetyan first responded from his seat, then approached the podium. Verbal exchange escalated into physical fight. Lawmakers from both sides traded punches and kicks. Video shows Deputy Speaker Vahagn Aleksanyan throwing a chair toward opposition lawmakers. Fight spilled from chamber into corridors, with obscene language heard.
Opposition MP Andranik Gevorgyan was seen with a bleeding nose, and fellow Strong Armenia lawmaker Ruben Mkhitaryan's clothes were torn. An ambulance was dispatched to the parliamentary building. Opposition MP Garnik Davtyan also allegedly hit Chakhoyan.
Speaker Ruben Rubinyan announced a break but initially refused to cut the live broadcast, saying public should see what was happening. After reviewing footage, he held Karapetyan primarily responsible, saying Chakhoyan's speech contained no offensive remarks. "Mr Karapetyan, you failed to control your emotions, made offensive remarks from your seat, and then stood up and attempted to hit Taron Chakhoyan," he said.
The incident follows a scuffle Oct 6 when opposition lawmaker Edgar Ghazaryan accused the speaker of misusing public funds over bonuses, and another clash mid-October. It raises questions about decorum and deep polarization between Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract majority and opposition.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan later defended his faction aggressively: "If anyone thinks they can raise their hand to hit an MP, we will break that hand. If needed, we will break it with a chair. Let them know their place." He said ruling majority had tolerated excrement blaring from podium and now consequences.
For India, familiar with Lok Sabha scuffles, Armenia's case is extreme: live chair-throwing in parliament. For a country balancing war legacy with Azerbaijan, EU bid, and Russian ties, repeated brawls signal institutional strain rather than mere theatre.
*Tags:* #Armenia #ParliamentBrawl #Yerevan #CivilContract #StrongArmenia #TaronChakhoyan #NarekKarapetyan #NikolPashinyan #RubenRubinyan #AuditChamber