In response to my article (Reporter's Notebook: Covering the Antics Inside the National Assembly) of a few days ago, in which I stated that it is routine for MP’s to cast votes for their missing colleagues, oftentimes to create a quorum, ruling Republican Party MP Edward Sharmazanov today told Hetq that, “I have never seen Galust Sahakyan cast a vote for me in my absence.”

The accompanying video would seem to suggest otherwise though. By the way, Sahakyan is the Republican Party’s parliamentary faction head. MP Sharmazanov added that according to Parliament Chief of Staff Gegham Gharibdjanyan, after the recent technical improvements, it is no longer possible for one MP to cast a vote for another.

When I asked Sharmazanov if he believed that legislators knew they were violating the rules by voting for someone else, he answered that it wasn’t proper for him to comment on the actions of his fellow MP’s. “Hopefully, come the fall legislative session, such incidents will not occur,” Sharmazanov said.