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At the regular sitting of the National Assembly on December 7, the deputies observed a minute of silence in memory of the innocent victims of the devastating earthquake in Spitak on December 7, 1988.

The Parliament continued the debate of the election of the candidate for the member of the Corruption Prevention Commission Haykuhi Harutyunyan.

In their speeches, the MPs touched upon the systemic fight against corruption, the problems regarding declarations, the introduction of a proper declaration institution, and the shortcomings of the activity of the Commission.

The Secretary of the RA NA Armenia Faction Artsvik Minasyan stated in his speech on behalf of the Faction that during the previous four years, the candidate, showing will and determination, made an attempt to establish the institute. According to him, the purpose of the Government's interest is to conceal the possible violations by high-ranking officials rejecting Haykuhi Harutyunyan’s candidacy.

In his speech, on behalf of the RA NA Civil Contract Faction, the Head of the Faction Hayk Konjoryan mentioned that according to the logic of any election process, they want to understand how their chosen candidate worked, because they bear political responsibility for it. “And it is a manifestation of political illiteracy to say that this is political pressure. The fight against corruption is one of the pillars of our political mission. We value this body too much, and this debate is also a manifestation of our compassion, because here we are also discussing our choice, ourselves. If we criticize, then we also criticize ourselves: That is the manifestation of democracy,” Hayk Konjoryan said. He added that the authority is the main body responsible for the fight against corruption in Armenia. “Apart from us, all those institutes that also hold public positions also bear this responsibility, and the questions regarding responsibility are legitimate,” the Head of the Faction concluded.

In her final speech, Haykuhi Harutyunyan answered the observations and questions introduced during the two days’ debates. She pointed out that the Corruption Prevention Institute was established in the RA.