Government seeks opposition votes to advance constitutional referendum

YEREVAN – Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party is continuing efforts to secure the parliamentary support needed to submit a proposed new Constitution to a national referendum.

Deputy Speaker Vahagn Aleksanyan said on November 11 that he remained optimistic about obtaining votes from opposition lawmakers despite their declared rejection of the initiative.

Under Article 202 of Armenia’s Constitution, the decision to submit a new Constitution to a referendum requires the support of at least two-thirds of the National Assembly.

Civil Contract holds 64 seats and needs at least six additional votes from opposition lawmakers.

Both the Hayastan and Strong Armenia parliamentary factions have rejected participation in the government’s constitutional initiative, warning that it responds to Azerbaijan’s demand to remove the reference to Armenia’s Declaration of Independence.

The controversy has intensified following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s acknowledgment that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev remains unwilling to sign a final peace agreement under Armenia’s existing constitutional arrangements.

Pashinyan maintains that constitutional reform is an internal Armenian matter, although the opposition argues that Baku’s demand has become the driving force behind the process.

Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan has indicated that the draft Constitution could be published this month, with broader public consultations continuing afterward.

The parliamentary arithmetic makes opposition support essential under the current Constitution, placing the dispute over constitutional change at the centre of Armenia’s political confrontation.