Armenian parliament elects Ruben Rubinyan as speaker

Armenia's newly elected parliament chose Ruben Rubinyan of the ruling Civil Contract party as speaker Monday during the inaugural session of the National Assembly's ninth convocation.

Rubinyan was elected with 63 votes in favor and 28 against, according to Lilit Minasyan, chair of parliament's counting commission.

Of parliament's 105 lawmakers, 91 participated in the vote, with no invalid ballots cast.

The vote followed the resignation of the previous government, a constitutional procedure triggered by the first sitting of the newly elected parliament after recent parliamentary elections.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Cabinet will continue serving in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed.

Ahead of the vote, the opposition Armenia alliance said it would not participate in the election of the speaker, while the Strong Armenia faction announced it would vote against the ruling party's nominee.

Rubinyan, a senior member of the governing Civil Contract party, has served as one of Armenia's deputy speakers since 2021 and is also the country's special envoy for talks with Türkiye aimed at normalizing bilateral relations.