Armenia’s parliament descended into a WWE style spectacle as lawmakers traded punches and hurled objects during a session. The eruption left several people injured and turned [1] legislative debate into something closer to a ringside melee.
The confrontation involved Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party and the opposition Strong Armenia party. It marked the second violent clash between the factions this month.
The latest fight erupted during debate over an appointment to the Audit Chamber. That body is responsible for overseeing public spending, though the discussion quickly gave way to a far less orderly display of parliamentary disagreement.
Lawmakers exchanged blows inside the chamber, while objects also went flying. A chair was reportedly thrown as the confrontation spiraled beyond heated words and into an all-out physical brawl.
Digital news outlet Visegrád 24, which is based in Poland, described the chaotic scene as it circulated news of the fight.
“An Armenian parliament session turned into a brawl between deputies. Lawmakers in Armenia engaged in an all-out brawl in the middle of a parliamentary session between representatives of the ruling party and the opposition. MPs even threw a chair at each other.”
An Armenian parliament session turned into a brawl between deputies
Lawmakers in Armenia engaged in an all-out brawl in the middle of a parliamentary session between representatives of the ruling party and the opposition.
MPs even threw a chair at each other. https://t.co/qK96k3accn
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 29, 2026 [2]
The confrontation did not remain contained inside the chamber. According to Armenia’s state news agency Armenpress, the incident continued in a corridor of the parliament building after the initial eruption.
Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan addressed the violence during a press briefing shortly after the incident. He placed responsibility on Strong Armenia faction leader Narek Karapetyan and Strong Armenia MP Garnik Davtyan.
Rubinyan also expressed support for the actions of lawmakers from the ruling Civil Contract faction. His account presented the opposition’s behavior as the trigger for the wider parliamentary fight.
“I strongly condemn the behavior of the Strong Armenia faction leader. Let me remind you that he insulted an MP who was speaking at the podium and then stood up from his seat to hit him. I strongly condemn Strong Armenia faction MP Garnik Davtyan, whose first punch triggered the brawl. I fully support the Civil Contract faction, which did what it did,” Rubinyan said.
Rubinyan’s statement accused Karapetyan of insulting a lawmaker who was speaking from the podium and then rising from his seat to strike him. He separately blamed Davtyan’s first punch for setting off the broader melee.
At the same time, Rubinyan made clear that his condemnation did not extend equally to both sides. He said he fully supported the Civil Contract faction and the actions its lawmakers took during the confrontation.
The spectacle was not an isolated episode for Armenia’s parliament. It was the second violent confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition during the same month, placing renewed attention on conduct inside the chamber.
The repeated outbreak raises fresh questions about whether new ethics rules can curb violence among lawmakers. Parliamentary standards face a rather obvious test when debates over appointments end with fists, flying objects, injuries, and a chair joining the discussion.
The argument began over oversight of public spending, but the proceedings produced a display of physical conflict instead. Lawmakers who were supposed to debate an Audit Chamber appointment wound up demonstrating a much more literal version of political combat.
Several people were injured during the brawl. The fight’s continuation into the parliament building’s corridor showed that the clash did not immediately end when lawmakers moved away from the chamber.
Armenian voters can at least say their lawmakers are fighting for them, although perhaps not in the manner normally advertised. After a second parliamentary clash in one month, the new ethics rules already appear to have their work cut out for them.