Armenia’s Constitutional Court to consider the constitutionality of new regulations stripping citizens of the republic of the right to vote in elections

ArmInfo.  The Constitutional Court of Armenia will consider the constitutionality of a new regulation depriving citizens of the Republic of Armenia of the right to vote if they have been absent from the country for at least one year during the past two years. This was reported by the press service of the Armenia bloc.

As the political force recalled, opposition deputies of the National Assembly of the eighth convocation appealed to the Constitutional Court, challenging the new regulation adopted by the ruling force on July 3, 2026. "Under this regulation, citizens of the Republic of Armenia who, during the two years preceding the publication of the electoral lists, were absent from the territory of Armenia for at least half of that period, that is, one year, are deprived of the right to vote. The Constitutional Court accepted the application for consideration to determine whether the provisions of Article 2 of the Constitutional Law "Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia" and Article 3 of the Constitutional Law "On Referendum" comply with the Constitution (they define the circle of persons entitled to vote in elections and referendums in the Republic of Armenia - ed.)", the bloc stated.

According to the source, the judicial hearing of the case is scheduled for December 22, 2026, at 11:00. "The case will be considered in written proceedings. Constitutional Court Judge Artur Vagarshyan has been appointed as the rapporteur on the case, while the National Assembly has been involved as the respondent in the judicial proceedings," the political force concluded.

It should be recalled that, on the instructions of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, deputies from the Civil Contract party initiated amendments to the Electoral Code, according to which citizens of the Republic of Armenia who have actually been present in the territory of Armenia for 183 or more days during the preceding 365 days will be able to participate in elections to the National Assembly and in referendums. The amendments were adopted on July 3, 2026. Sixty-three deputies voted in favor of adopting the amendments. The initiative was criticized by opposition figures and representatives of civil society.