Media: Ruling party seeks Simonyan’s removal as Armenian Parliament Speaker

Members of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party are reportedly seeking the removal of Alen Simonyan from his position as Speaker of the National Assembly, amid mounting internal discontent.

According to the newspaper Zhoghovurd, a growing wave of dissatisfaction with Simonyan is emerging within the party. The publication, referencing sources close to the government, reports that tensions have intensified in recent weeks, Caliber.Az reports.

The newspaper claims that during meetings of the Civil Contract board—where candidates for inclusion in the party’s electoral list were discussed—Simonyan displayed markedly aggressive behavior toward fellow party members. He is alleged to have sought to undermine his colleagues by portraying them unfavorably to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“Our sources indicate that an ‘army’ of Civil Contract members intends to meet with Pashinyan to brief him on the ‘intrigues’ of Simonyan and his team, who are allegedly working to consolidate a dominant position within the party,” the publication reports.

Disaffected party members are said to be determined to ensure Simonyan’s departure from the post of parliamentary speaker. At the same time, sources within Civil Contract suggest that Prime Minister Pashinyan is deeply dissatisfied with Simonyan and may have already reached a decision regarding his political future.

The report also notes that the ruling party has been discussing a potential successor for the speakership for some time. Should Civil Contract retain a parliamentary majority in the 2026 elections, speculation points to former Ambassador to the United States Lilit Makunts as a possible candidate for the role.

Elections to Armenia’s National Assembly are scheduled for June 2026.

By Vafa Guliyeva