Pro-Western political and civic groups seeking a referendum on Armenia’s membership in the European Union have secured the necessary number of signatures to have the country’s parliament debate the initiative.

Armenian law requires the parliament to debate any initiative backed by at least 50,000 citizens. A petition signed by at least 300,000 Armenians must be put on a referendum.

The group known as Eurovote Armenia said in a statement on Friday, October 25 that they have collected 60,000 votes ahead of the deadline.

“The political parties and non-governmental organizations behind the initiative are preparing to submit the signatures to the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, which will forward the bill to the National Assembly for consideration,” the statement said.