MP criticizes proposed voting residency rule

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian MP Artsvik Minasyan said the proposed amendments to the constitutional laws On Referendums and the Electoral Code demonstrate that the current authorities continue to "ignore constitutional provisions and their obligation to be accountable to the public." He made the remarks while commenting on the inclusion of the bill introducing a residency requirement for voting on the parliamentary agenda, according to Factor.am .

"Moreover, the proposed bill, which on its face has a clearly unconstitutional character, seeks to restrict the right of Armenian citizens that is guaranteed by the Constitution and is not subject to any limitations.

It is also evident that a number of procedures required under Armenian legislation have been disregarded. This also concerns the Venice Commission, which is one of Armenia's key partner institutions in the field of electoral legislation and promotes international standards," he said.

The Armenian government has proposed legislative amendments requiring citizens to meet a residency requirement in order to participate in nationwide elections and referendums. Under the proposal, voters would need to have resided permanently in Armenia for at least one year. This means that being included on the electoral register alone would no longer be sufficient if a person does not meet the residency requirement.