Armenia’s parliament today, by a vote of 65-27, approved a government-backed bill to nationalize the country’s electricity distribution utility - Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA).

Today’s vote was at the bill’s second parliamentary hearing. It now goes to the desk of PM Nikol Pashinyan for signing.

ENA is currently owned by the Tashir Group, a holding corporation owned by Samvel Karapetyan, recently arrested on charges that he made public calls for people to “seize power and to overthrow the country’s constitutional order.”

Karapetyan was arrested on June 18 after he gave an interview with news.am in which he denounced those politicians who have recently called for a new leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The Armenian government argues the utility must be nationalized for security reasons.

Karapetyan has threatened to file an international lawsuit against the government, arguing the nationalization bid is illegal and politically motivated.

Tashir Group acquired ENA from a Russian energy company in 2015.