Bill links voting rights to residency in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Under a bill currently circulating in the National Assembly, Armenian citizens who have been absent from the country for 183 days or more could lose their right to vote. The proposal was outlined by MP Alkhas Ghazaryan, one of the co-authors of the legislative initiative.

According to Ghazaryan, several exceptions are being considered, Factor.am reports.

“If a person lives in the Republic of Armenia for more than six months, it means that their vital interests are located in Armenia—they pay taxes and work here. We already have similar provisions in the law on local self-government, but there are no such regulations for nationwide elections. This is also one of the ideas behind the bill, so that we have a unified definition in this area as well. The same approach applies to the proposed amendments to the Law on Referendums.

As for the figures, I do not want to cite exact numbers at the moment because I do not remember them precisely. However, during the main presentation I will provide more detailed statistics on whether the number of voters will decrease or increase as a result.

Several exceptions are also envisaged. There will be exemptions for people holding public positions who are sent abroad on official assignments, as well as for those admitted to educational institutions abroad. Issues related to medical treatment abroad, tax payments, and other similar matters are still under discussion, but at this stage the bill has been circulated in its current form,” Ghazaryan said.

The initiative remains under discussion, with lawmakers expected to debate its potential impact on voter eligibility and participation.

Final results of the June 7 parliamentary elections were published on June 14. Civil Contract received 726,819 votes, or 49.7456%; Strong Armenia received 340,006 votes, or 23.2710%; and the Hayastan alliance received 144,983 votes, or 9.9231%. The Prosperous Armenia Party failed to pass the 4% threshold and did not enter parliament after receiving 58,287 votes, or 3.9893%.

Civil Contract will hold 64 seats, including three allocated to representatives of national minorities. The Strong Armenia party will have 29 seats, including one seat for an Assyrian representative, while the Hayastan alliance will hold 12 seats.