More than half of incumbent MPs re-elected

The majority the lawmakers in Armenia's fifth National Assembly were also represented in the previous parliament, it has emerged.
A report by Parliamentmonitoring.am has revealed that seventy-one out of the 131 incumbent lawmakers were re-elected as a result of the recent polls, with 11 of them having been engaged in legislative activity in the parliaments of previous convocations as well. 
The website has further found that eight out of the 12 standing committee chiefs are members of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and only four –Prosperous Armenia representatives. It also draws readers' attention to fact that none of the parliament speakers officiated throughout since Armenia’s gaining independence.
"Chairman of the fifth National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan is the first ever [speaker] to retake office.
Two former prime ministers (Khosrov Harutyunyan and Hrand Bagratyan), three ex-foreign ministers (Raffi Hovhannisyan, Alexander Arzumanyan and Vardan Oskanyan), two former mayors of Yerevan (Artashe Geghamyan and Gagik Beglaryan [who withdrew his mandate after being appointed minister of transport and communication – Tert.am]) are represented in the National Assembly of the fifth convocation," reads the report.
It says further that the new parliament has 15 female lawmakers (as opposed to the 11 in the fourth parliament), with Arpine Hovhannisyan, 29, being the youngest among them.
The youngest parliamentarian in the 131-member National Assembly is Hayk Grigoryan (Syunik region), 28. Mkrtich Minasyan, 66, appears to be the most elderly.   Read more... (239 words)

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