PROFILPELAJAR.COM

National Assembly

Ազգային ժողով

*Azgayin Zhoghov*
National Assembly ; Ազգային ժողով; Azgayin Zhoghov
7th convocation of the National Assembly
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	November 28, 1991
Disbanded	1 January 2024
Leadership
President	Davit Ishkhanyan, Armenian Revolutionary Federation ; since 7 August 2023
Vice-President	Gagik Baghunts, United Motherland ; since 21 May 2020
Structure
Seats	33
Political groups	Government (16) Free Motherland - UCA Alliance (16) Free Motherland; UCA Party; ; Government support (8) ARF (3); Justice (2); Democratic Party (2); Independents (1); Opposition (9) United Motherland (9);
Elections
Voting system	Party-list proportional representation
Last election	31 March 2020
Meeting place
	2, 20 February st., Stepanakert
Website
	http://www.nankr.am/en

The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Armenian: Արցախի Հանրապետության Ազգային ժողով, romanized: Artsakhi Hanrapetut'yan Azgayin zhoghov; often shortened: Ազգային ժողով, ԱԺ, Azgayin zhoghov, AZh) was the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Artsakh.

Plans were in place to move the National Assembly from Stepanakert to Shusha on 9 May 2022 to mark the 30th anniversary of the capture of Shusha,^[2]^[3] but the city came under the control of Azerbaijan during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Following an Azerbaijani offensive on 19 September 2023, Artsakh agreed to dissolve itself by 1 January 2024, as de jure.^[4] In December 2023, this decision was subsequently declared not valid by the Artsakh president.^[5]^[6] The Assembly kept functioning in exile from Yerevan.^[7]

In early March 2024, Azerbaijani authorities demolished the National Assembly of Artsakh building.^[8]^[9]

Electoral system

The constitution of Artsakh, amended in 2017, stated that all members to National Assembly shall be elected for a five-year term through a proportional electoral system. The National Assembly had to be composed of no less than 27 and no more than 33 MPs. The number of the MPs had to be defined by the Electoral Code.^[10]

Prior to the passing of the 2017 constitutional referendum, the National Assembly had 33 members, 22 of whom (17 before 2015) were elected using party-list proportional representation, and the rest elected in single seat constituencies using first-past-the-post voting.

Last election



Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Free Motherland - UCA Alliance	30,015	40.80	16	+1
	United Motherland	17,683	24.04	9	New
	Justice	5,867	7.98	3	New
	Armenian Revolutionary Federation	4,758	6.47	3	–4
	Democratic Party of Artsakh	4,314	5.86	2	–4
	New Artsakh Alliance	3,385	4.60	0	New
	National Revival	2,175	2.96	0	0
	Artsakh Conservative Party	2,156	2.93	0	New
	Artsakh Revolutionary Party	1,325	1.80	0	New
	United Armenia Party	930	1.26	0	New
	Generation of Independence Party	551	0.75	0	New
	Communist Party of Artsakh	402	0.55	0	0
Total		73,561	100.00	33	0

Valid votes		73,561	96.82
Invalid/blank votes		2,419	3.18
Total votes		75,980	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		104,866	72.45
Source: CEC, Armenanews

Committees

The National Assembly had 7 standing committees:

Standing Committee on Defense, Security and Law Enforcement
Standing Committee on Foreign Relations
Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs
Standing Committee on Social Affairs and Health
Standing Committee on Production and Manufacturing Infrastructure
Standing Committee on Budget, Financial and Economic Management
Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sports,^[11]

List of National Assembly members by convocation

6th Convocation

The members of the 6th convocation of the National Assembly were elected on 3 May 2015.

Party	Name
Free Motherland (14)	Artur Tovmasyan (head of faction)
	Ramela Dadayan (secretary of faction)
	Arpat Avanesyan
	Aram Grigoryan
	Grigory Kasparyan
	Sergey Harutyunyan
	Rudik Hyusnunts
	Robert Ghahramanyan
	Arzik Mkhitaryan
	Vardges Ulubabyab
	Gagik Petrosyan
	Hovik Jivanyan
	Ararat Ohandjanyan
	Armen Ohanyan
Democratic Party (6)	Ashot Ghulian (Speaker of the Parliament)
	Vardges Baghryan (head of faction)
	Ludmila Barseghyan (secretary of faction)
	Zhanna Galstyan
	Davit Melkumyan [hy]
	Gegham Stepanyan
ARF (6)	Armen Sargsyan (head of faction)
	Alyosha Gabrielyan (secretary of faction)
	Vahram Balayan
	David Ishkhanyan
	Rita Mnatsakanyan
	Georgy Petrosyan
Movement 88 (3)	Eduard Aghabekyan (head of faction)
	Gagik Baghunts (secretary of faction)
	Vilen Safaryan^[12]
National Revival (1)	Hayk Khanumyan (head of faction)
Independent (3)	Ruslan Israelyan^[a]^[13]
	Aram Sargsyan
	Erik Harutunyan
Source: National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh

7th Convocation

The members of the 7th convocation of the National Assembly were elected on 31 March 2020. This was the last legislature before the dissolution of Artsakh on 1 January 2024.^[4]

Faction	Name
Free Motherland - UCA Alliance (16)	Arthur Tovmasyan (President of the National Assembly)
	Arthur Harutyunyan (head of faction)
	Eleonora Avanesyan (secretary of faction)
	Eduard Aghabekyan
	Aram Grigoryan
	Hovik Jivanyan
	Vladimir Kasyan
	Arevik Petrosyan
	Karine Atayan
	Aramayis Aghabekyan
	Areg Avagyan
	Nela Grigoryan
	Ashot Danielyan
	Armen Hakobyan
	Aram Harutyunyan
	Lernik Ghalayan
United Motherland (9)	Gagik Baghunts (Vice-President of the National Assembly, head of faction)
	Marsel Petrosyan (secretary of faction)
	Sevak Aghajanyan
	David Baghdasaryan
	Arshak Grigoryan
	Seyran Hayrapetyan
	Nune Melkumyan
	Gohar Sargsyan
	David Sargsyan
Justice (3)	David Galstyan (head of faction)
	Metakse Hakobyan (secretary of faction)
	Karen Hovhannisyan
ARF (3)	Arthur Mosiyan (head of faction)
	Vahram Balayan (secretary of faction)
	David Ishkhanyan
Democratic Party (2)	David Melkumyan (head of faction)
Democratic Party (2)	Gegham Stepanyan (secretary of faction)
Source: National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh