Human rights activist announces creation of working group against  amendment to Armenia`s Electoral Code regarding residency  requirements

ArmInfo. Human rights activist Hovhannes Ishkhanyan announced the creation of a working group aimed at repealing the residency requirement for participation in elections  in Armenia, calling the legislative changes "an electoral outcast."

In a Facebook post, the human rights activist stated that Armenian  citizens living abroad or in Armenia itself, who have been deprived  of the opportunity to exercise their voting rights, are welcome to  join the working group.

"We, citizens of the Republic of Armenia living abroad, are fully  involved in the civil and political life of Armenia and have not  renounced our citizenship or ties to the homeland. Therefore, no one  can or has the right to deprive us of our right to vote," Ishkhanyan  stated. He drew the attention of Armenian citizens living abroad to  the fact that on July 2, the Civil Contract party unilaterally  amended the Constitutional Law "Electoral Code of the Republic of  Armenia," which disqualifies citizens who have been absent from the  country for more than one year within the past two years from  participating in elections.

The human rights activist believes that the amendments are  unconstitutional, were adopted without public debate, and are  discriminatory. He believes the changes are not aimed at improving  the electoral system, but rather at ensuring the political  propagation of a single force.

Ishkhanyan expressed confidence that the new regulation will be the  first instance of fraud in future elections or referendums. "The  results of electoral processes without the participation of citizens  deprived of the right to vote cannot be considered legitimate," he  said. Ishkhanyan calls on residents of Armenia and the Armenian  diaspora to unite to repeal the legislative changes. "We will attend  referendums and elections and vote. Our legal ties to Armenia remain  unbreakable, and regardless of our location, we will continue to  participate in the country's democratization and its political life,"  the statement emphasized.

As a reminder, the National Assembly of Armenia, at an extraordinary  session on July 3, adopted amendments to the Electoral Code and the  Law "On Referendum" in the second and final reading.  According to  the amendments, citizens of the Republic of Armenia who have reached  the age of 18 on voting day and have actually resided in Armenia for  at least 366 days during the 730 days preceding the 48th day before  the vote, or on the 28th day before the vote in the case of  extraordinary parliamentary elections, have the right to vote in the  National Assembly elections. Another amendment establishes that  citizens who have reached the age of 18 on voting day, registered in  the population register of the relevant community for at least six  months before the vote, and who have actually resided in the Republic  of Armenia for at least 366 days during the 730 days preceding the  48th day before the vote, or on the 28th day before the vote in the  case of extraordinary elections, have the right to vote in local  government elections. It also stipulates that the period of actual  stay in the Republic of Armenia does not include absences due to  travel abroad for official business trips of individuals in the civil  service or their family members residing with them abroad as part of  their diplomatic service, as well as studies at foreign higher  education institutions. The opposition did not participate in the  vote on the amendments, calling these measures illegal and contrary  to the country's fundamental law. Furthermore, Robert Kocharyan's  "Armenia" bloc appealed to the Constitutional Court, demanding that  the amendment be reviewed for constitutionality.