How different are Bundestag and the RA NA?
Recently, the ANC MP to the RA National Assembly, Hrant Bagratyan, was complaining about why the NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan’s chair differs from the chairs of other parliamentarians. It is known that his as well as Vice-Speakers Eduard Sharmazanov’s and Hermine Naghdalyan’s chairs have a wider back, are higher and more expensive. Bagratyan complains that it is a sign of democracy and all the chairs should be the same. “We all are the same, do you understand?” Recently, the Armenian journalists visited Germany under the Deutsche Gesellschaft and the Yerevan Press Club joint program and visited the German government, Bundestag (Reichstag). And the looking around in the hall of the sessions, we saw that the chair of the Speaker is a few centimeters high.
Aravot.am asked the German Bundestag parliamentarian Tristan Martens, the head of Martin Petzold’s office, whether there are no complaints by their parliamentarians about why the speaker’s chair is higher, the equality is a sign of democracy. He replied, “We have never had such a problem because each parliamentary realizes that the Speaker of the Bundestag is not anything more from them, he has the same right to vote as all other parliamentarians, although he is considered to be the second key person in Germany after the Chancellor. No matter whether his chair is lower, everybody understands that he represents Germany ex-officio”. To the question of whether the parliamentarians in Bundestag do not vote instead of others, he was surprised and said that it’s illegal and is not allowed, hence, you will not see anything like that here.
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In Germany, during the voting, the buttons of pros, cons and abstaining have their own colors, and those who watch the sessions online can immediately see which parliamentarian voted how. If a technical problem occurs, or they do not believe that so many parliamentarians are registered in the session, they invite all the parliamentarians out and again, counting one by one, they allow them in so that no one has any doubts.
The public TV broadcast the sessions of the Bundestag live, ensuring a broad audience.
To our question of whether there are also singers in your Bundestag, national heroes and people who have no connection with the law, and are not lawyers, he replied that there is one restriction to become a parliamentarian, the only condition is that the parliamentarian must be above 18 years old. Bundestag was that much young, just 18 years old parliamentarian. “Our parliament has political scientists, lawyers and businessmen. But if you are a government employee, you should not be involved in businesses.” It is noteworthy that the photos of former speakers of the National Assembly are posted on the walls of our National Assembly, highlighting them, while, in the Bundestag, each member of the parliament is highlighted. There is a corner there and the information about the tenure of the parliamentarians are archived in the boxes.
One of the boxes had the name Hitler on it. In fact, the German punctuality forced the Armenian parliamentarian Mr. Petzold not to accept the Armenian journalists for being late for the meeting, although it was also planned to have a discussion with him too.
HRIPSIME JEBEJYAN
“Aravot” daily
