Armenian parliament adopts new voting eligibility requirements

Armenia's National Assembly has passed in the second and final reading a package of amendments to the Electoral Code and the Law on Referendums, introducing new eligibility requirements for voting.

The legislative package was presented by Alkhas Ghazaryan, an MP from the ruling Civil Contract faction, who co-authored the initiative with fellow Civil Contract MPs Arusyak Manavazyan, Hasmik Hakobyan, and Arusyak Julhakyan.

Ghazaryan said the package had been revised based on the government's recommendations.

Under the adopted amendments, Armenian citizens who have reached the age of 18 by election day will be eligible to vote in parliamentary elections only if they have been physically present in Armenia for at least one year (366 days) during the previous two years (730 days), calculated as of the 48th day before election day. In the case of snap parliamentary elections, the calculation will be made as of the 28th day before the vote.

For local elections, eligible voters must be at least 18 years old, have been registered as residents of the respective community for at least six months before election day, and have been physically present in Armenia for at least one year during the previous two years, under the same calculation method.

The amendments also clarify periods that will not be counted as absence from Armenia. These include time spent abroad on official duty by public servants, residence abroad with a family member serving in a diplomatic or consular mission, and studies at foreign higher education institutions.

The legislative package also introduces other changes related to the compilation and maintenance of voter lists.

The proposed changes come in the wake of Armenia's parliamentary elections held on June 7, during which concerns were raised over reports that large numbers of Armenian citizens were expected to travel from Russia to participate in the vote and potentially influence the outcome. During the election campaign, media reports claimed that Russia was interested in facilitating the arrival of up to 100,000 Armenian citizens to support pro-Russian opposition forces. Those claims were part of the political debate surrounding the elections.