Alen Simonyan Declines Seat in Armenia’s New Parliament After Losing Speaker Nomination

Alen Simonyan, who has served as speaker of Armenia’s National Assembly, said Thursday that he will not take the parliamentary seat he won in the recent election, ending his time in the legislature after the ruling Civil Contract party chose another lawmaker to lead the new parliament.

Speaking to reporters, Simonyan said he had discussed the decision with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and decided not to accept his mandate.

“I discussed the matter with the prime minister. I will not take the mandate, and I will not return to the National Assembly,” he said.

The announcement follows Civil Contract’s decision to nominate Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, rather than Simonyan, for the post of parliamentary speaker. The decision is a significant leadership change within Armenia’s ruling party after Simonyan had publicly sought to continue in the role.

Simonyan said he was never told why the party leadership backed Rubinyan instead of him.

“There was no such discussion,” he said when asked whether Pashinyan had explained the decision. “If I had believed there was any reason, I wouldn’t have put myself forward as a candidate.”

Despite leaving parliament, Simonyan made clear he is not stepping away from politics. He rejected speculation that he had been offered the presidency, calling those reports “nonsense,” and said he has no plans to leave the Civil Contract party.

“I am finishing this stage with a clear conscience. Time will tell,” Simonyan said, adding that he plans to “get a little rest.”

Earlier in the day, Simonyan met with employees across the National Assembly to thank them for their work before formally concluding his tenure as speaker.

Simonyan served as Speaker of the National Assembly from 2021–2026 (about 5 years).

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