63.35 % of Armenians vote for Constitutional amendments

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's Central Electoral Commission published the preliminary results of the referendum on constitutional amendments in Armenia. According to the data, 63.35 % of voters have cast ballot in favor of changes. 32.35% of people have voted against. Data from all 1997 polling stations have been summarized.

1 296 368 (50.51%) people have voted in the referendum. According to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), 388 506 (45.9%) voters cast ballots in Yerevan.

The Armenian citizens voted Sunday, December 6, on the amendments to Constitution.1997 polling stations opened across the republic at 8 am local time and closed at 8 pm sharp. 18 local and 6 international organizations monitored the referendum, including CIS observer mission, CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, foreign Central Election Committees, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR), representatives of foreign embassies accredited to Armenia.

The amended version of the Constitution would increase the role of the National Assembly, government and Prime Minister and essentially curtail the president's powers. Other changes include elimination of majoritarian voting system and full transition to proportional system of forming a parliament.