Narek Zeynalyan’s Bill Fails, Responsibility Lies with Zarouhi Bathoyan

The Chairman of the Health and Social Affairs Standing Committee of the National Assembly and member of the ‘My Step’ faction, Narek Zeynalyan, unexpectedly called for a ‘no’ vote on his own bill from the parliamentary podium yesterday. The bill concerned amendments to the law on temporary incapacity and maternal benefits.

The proposal aimed to establish a benefit for individuals who are either wage earners or self-employed and have self-isolated or isolated as per the instructions of the task force. The bill had already passed its first reading; however, Zeynalyan announced yesterday that further calculations and revisions were needed, prompting him to call for a ‘no’ vote, which sparked discontent among the opposition.

According to reports by ‘Zhoghovurd’ newspaper, the primary responsibility for the bill’s failure lies with the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Zarouhi Bathoyan. The ministry she oversees was unable to properly gather data and reach an agreement with all relevant agencies, putting Zeynalyan in an unfavorable position.

Our sources indicate that the bill was only sent to the government’s social issues meeting the day before, where disagreements were raised by Minister of Finance Atom Janjughazyan and Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, who stated that calculations had not been made, preventing them from giving their agreement. Consequently, Zeynalyan was asked to pause the process in order to find solutions to the issues at hand, with the aim of adopting the bill later.

Read the full article in today’s edition of the newspaper.