Home > 5.1 Nature of the referendum > ARMENIA - Joint Opinion on the Draft Law on Referendum
 
 
 
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Paragraph 17
 

The Constitution of Armenia provides for mandatory referendums to enact a new Constitution or to make constitutional amendments to enumerated constitutional provisions (Article 202.1), optional referendums for amendments to constitutional provisions that may by amended by the Parliament (Article 202.2), optional referendums on draft laws submitted upon popular initiative (Article 204), as well as mandatory referendums on accession of Armenia to supranational organisations and on territorial changes (Article 205). The Constitution also sets out timelines for holding referendums (Article 206) and establishes turnout and approval quorums (Article 207). In addition to these provisions on nationwide referendums, the Constitution also provides for local referendums (Article 183), which are not regulated by the present draft law. The Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR recommend the timely drafting of legislation on local referendums as referendum at the local level is an important way to ensure citizens’ participation in political life due to its concrete implications.