National Assembly passes bill allowing advertisement of strong alcoholic beverages (video)
With a vote 66 to 1, the National Assembly has passed the bill on introducing amendments and additions to the RA Laws on Television and Radio Broadcasting and Advertising. Before the vote, Aghvan Vardanyan, a lawmaker of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation –Dashnaktsutyun, proposed that the NA sitting be recessed for 20 minutes. After the vote, Dashnaktsutyun MP Artsvik Minasyan wanted to see the results of voting on the scoreboard. “The opposition forces in parliament boycotted the vote,” he said. The bill was introduced in the National Assembly by Republican MPs. It envisages that advertisements of alcoholic beverages be allowed from 10.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m. which was earlier banned by the National Assembly. Opposition lawmakers strongly condemned the bill, saying it serves the interests of some individuals and poses a threat to public health.