Clarification

The Presidential Administration has been following publications in the mass media and ongoing discussions and to avoid any future misinterpretation, contradictory interpretations, or misreading, presents clarifications on the functions of the President pertinent to the decision adopted by the National Assembly on “Referendum on the Changes in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia”.

The document presented to the President of Armenia is not a draft law or a law: it is ԱԺՈ-001-Ն decision of the National Assembly adopted on February 6, 2020 on “Referendum on the Changes in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia” and is available at the official website of the National Assembly.

Constitutional powers of the President of Armenia related to the mentioned above decision are procedural and are limited exclusively and solely to signing in a three-day period a decree on conducting a referendum.

Besides, according to Article 12 of the constitutional law “On Referendum”, if the President in the mentioned three-day period does not set a date for the referendum, the referendum is to be held on Sunday before the 65th day from the last day of that three-day period.

It is also necessary to mention that by setting a day for referendum or by not doing it, the President of Armenia does not express his attitude or position on the content of the changes to the Constitution adopted by the National Assembly and to be put on referendum or his attitude or position on the procedures it has been adopted through.