Despite sporadic public protests, Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission approved a 4 AMD electricity rate hike to take effect as of August 1.

After the hike was approved, Armenian National Congress MP Aram Manukyan came out and addressed a group of protestors gathered outside, saying that the Commission failed to listen to their arguments opposing such a hike.

MPs from the four non-coalition parliamentary factions attended the debate and, according to Manukyan, described a rate hike as damaging but that no Commission members responded.

Manukyan told the crowd that the ministers of finance, economy and energy, never showed up at the vote, arguing that they couldn’t care less.

The Commission members, according to Manukyan, were instructed to vote in favor of the rate hike and that they carried out their instructions to a tee.

Photo: Aram Manukyan