Preparations for holding April 5 Constitutional referendum are suspended – Armenia CEC

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS. The Central Electoral Commission of Armenia announced that all preparation works aimed at holding the referendum on Constitutional amendments scheduled on April 5 are being suspended by all participants of the process.

In a statement the CEC said that the decision comes based on the March 16 decision of the Armenian government to declare a 30-day state of emergency to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

Armenia was planning to hold a referendum on Constitutional amendments on April 5, 2020, but on March 16 the government declared a state of emergency which will last until April 14. During a Q&A session in the Parliament yesterday Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said under the conditions of the state of emergency the referendum cannot take place. “The referendum will take place no sooner than 50 days after the completion of the state of emergency and no later than 65 days after it is over. The referendum process will start from the point it has ended”, the PM said.

Number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Armenia has reached 52, one patient has recovered.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan