Ruben Rubinyan elected speaker of Armenia's parliament

Armenia's National Assembly has elected Ruben Rubinyan as its new speaker following a secret ballot, despite a boycott by part of the parliamentary opposition.

Rubinyan, 36, was the sole candidate for the post. A member of the ruling Civic Contract party, he previously served as deputy speaker of parliament and has also represented the Armenian government as a special envoy in negotiations with Türkiye aimed at normalising bilateral relations, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media. 

The vote took place amid opposition protests. The Armenia bloc boycotted the election entirely, while the Strong Armenia bloc announced in advance that it would vote against Rubinyan's candidacy.

Despite the opposition's objections, the ruling majority secured enough support to elect its candidate. Rubinyan received 63 votes in the secret ballot and was officially elected Speaker of the National Assembly.

By Sabina Mammadli