The Government proposes draft changes in the constitutional “Law on Referendum”. Under the draft, it is possible to pass a referendum with 300.000 citizens’ signatures and besides the local committees, both ‘for’ and ‘against’ voters can be included in the electoral committee.
“Yelq” MP Edmon Marukyan complained today, in the extraordinary session of the Parliament, that the right to pass a referendum by 300.000 citizens’ signatures is unrealizable, it is an illusionary right, no reasonable time-frame is defined for gathering signatures. The draft envisages 60 days for that. “Yelq” proposed to define 90 days, but the proposal was declined: “We have discussed also the question if some day, as it is today, the citizens of the Republic of Armenia are concerned about Armenia’s membership to the EAEU, or if they have a wish to become a member of any other supranational institution, it will be impossible to implement through civic initiative. The citizens of the Republic of Armenia, the people cannot initiate a referendum, it should be importantly proposed by the Government. If the Government does not propose then they cannot.”
As stated by Marukyan, it is an illusionary procedure of an illusionary right to an illusionary referendum. “Yelq” MP Artak Zeynalyan added that the citizens should indeed be provided with a longer term for gathering signatures, otherwise the “mission is impossible”.
The Deputy Minister said if the Constitution defines 60 days for gathering 300.000 votes, then they could not define 90 days.
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
