The Armenian National Congress (ANC) has called on the Human Rights Defender and the opposition factions in the National Assembly to urgently apply to the Constitutional Court, requesting that amendments to Armenia’s Electoral Code be declared unconstitutional and invalid.

The appeal was made in a statement issued by the party.

On July 3, the National Assembly adopted amendments to the Electoral Code and the Law on Referendums during an extraordinary session. Under the changes, Armenian citizens who have not been physically present in the country for at least 183 days during the year preceding an election will not be eligible to participate in elections.

The statement also says that, in order to safeguard Armenia’s statehood, constitutional order and democracy, it is necessary to establish a broad public and political front capable of halting what it describes as the erosion of state institutions through lawful and constitutional means. Otherwise, it argues, the current government will continue policies that deepen the country's internal crisis and weaken its state resilience.

“The Constitution guarantees the right of citizens of the Republic of Armenia to participate in elections to state and local self-government bodies, as well as in referendums, as a fundamental political right under Article 48.

Moreover, Article 48 not only expressly guarantees voting rights to Armenian citizens who have reached the age of 18 by election or referendum day, but also provides an exhaustive list of those deprived of that right. That list does not include any requirement to reside in or be physically present in Armenia for a specified period.

Therefore, introducing a new residency requirement for voting through ordinary legislation effectively imposes an additional restriction not предусмотрed by the Constitution,” the statement says.

According to the ANC, imposing an additional legal condition for exercising voting rights exceeds the scope of regulation permitted by the Constitution and violates the constitutional principles of universal and equal suffrage.

“In our view, the true purpose of these amendments is political. They are intended to artificially reduce the threshold of affirmative votes required from one-quarter of eligible voters for the adoption of a referendum proposal, thereby making it easier to implement Azerbaijan’s demand for amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.

If the Constitutional Court does not declare these amendments unconstitutional, all future referendums and nationwide elections will be held on an unconstitutional legal basis, and the legitimacy of the authorities formed through those processes will remain permanently open to question, creating a continuing constitutional crisis,” the statement says.

According to the authorities, a large number of Armenian citizens traveled to Armenia in a coordinated manner in order to vote in the June 7 parliamentary elections. However, according to data from the National Security Service submitted to the Constitutional Court, the difference between arrivals and departures in May and June amounted to only 2,000–3,000 people.