Constitutional changes approved in Armenia’s referendum

Constitutional changes approved in Armenia’s referendum –

Armenianow – With all ballots counted in the December 6 constitutional referendum, the Central Electoral Commission said early on Monday that more than 63 percent of the voters have backed the reform under which Armenia will become a parliamentary republic. 

According to preliminary results, more than 32 percent of the voters cast their ballots against the government-backed amendments.

The number of voters who voted in favor of the changes in absolute figures equals to 825,622, which is higher than the required threshold of some 637,000 (a quarter of all eligible voters) under Armenia’s law. 

Representatives of the ruling Republican Party and other parties that campaigned for the constitutional reform hailed the outcome, describing the referendum as a step forward.

The political parties and groups opposed to the changes dismissed the vote as fraudulent. They pointed to “widespread” violations during the vote, including ballot-box stuffing, open ballots, multiple voting, vote buying, and others.