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ARMENIA

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At stake in this referendum:

The referendum will ask voters to approve a series of amendments which would remove certain authorities reserved for the president and to balance powers between the executive and legislative branches.

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: President Robert KOCHARIAN
Head of Government: Prime Minister Andranik MARGARYAN
Assembly: Armenia has a unicameral National Assembly (Azgayin Zhoghov) with 131 seats, to date.

Main provisions in this Referendum:

The first provision would allow the legislative body to propose a candidate for prime minister should they reject the president’s proposed candidate twice.
The second provision would allow the president to disband parliament only under five specific scenarios such as inactivity within the assembly.
The third provision would prevent the president from vetoing government decisions.
The fourth provision called for a reduction of the National Assembly (Azgayin Zhoghov) from 131 seats to 101 seats.
Other provisions include a ban on dual citizenship, to allow non-citizens to vote in local elections, more regulations against human rights abuses, and to allow foreign nationals to own property in Armenia.

When was the last election?

Elections to the Azgayin Zhoghov were last held on May 30, 1999. Number of seats in last election was 131.

Population and number of registered voters:

Is there anything unique about this upcoming election that would be of interest to an international audience?

In order to ensure a high voter turnout, the referendum is scheduled to take place alongside the parliamentary elections on May 25, 2003. A turnout of 50% is required to make the referendum valid.
According to the OSCE and the Central Election Commission (CEC), transparent ballot boxes will be used for both the referendum and parliamentary elections in order to maintain transparency and prevent possible vote-rigging during the event.
There is concern that voters might not understand what they are voting for during the referendum, given that the original amendments were viewed as confusing by opposition groups.

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ELECTION SYSTEMS (IFES)
For additional information: IFES ElectionGuide Online

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