Armenia's ruling party proposes residency requirement for participation in national referendums

Lawmakers from Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party have introduced draft amendments to the country's law on referendums that would impose a minimum physical residency requirement for citizens seeking to participate in nationwide plebiscites.

The bill, submitted by Civil Contract MPs Alkhas Ghazaryan, Arusyak Manavazyan, Hasmik Hakobyan and Arusyak Julhakyan, is scheduled for consideration during a special parliament session on July 2.

Under the proposed amendments, Armenian citizens would be eligible to vote in national referendums only if they have been physically present in Armenia for at least 183 days during the 365-day period preceding the 48th day before the referendum. In the event of a repeat vote, the same threshold would apply based on the 28th day preceding the ballot. 

The authors argue that the measure is intended to reinforce not only the formal legal bond of citizenship but also its substantive dimension by ensuring that participants maintain a tangible connection with the state. They contend that the proposal would align the eligibility criteria for national referendums with residency requirements already applicable to local self-government elections and municipal referendums.

The draft also preserves exemptions for Armenian citizens whose absence from the country resulted from official overseas public service assignments or enrollment in higher education institutions abroad.

If enacted, the amendment would replace the current provision of the constitutional law, which grants referendum voting rights to all Armenian citizens who have turned 18 by referendum day, without imposing any residency requirement.