At stake in this Referendum:

• Approval of a package of amendments to the Armenian Constitution.

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Robert KOCHARIAN
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Andranik MARGARYAN
• Assembly: Armenia has a unicameral National Assembly (Azgayin Zhoghov) with 131 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 5-year term.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the president with the approval of the parliament.
• In the National Assembly (Azgayin Zhoghov), 90 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms and 41 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.***

Main provisions in the Referendum:

• This referendum asked voters to approve of a package of amendments to the Armenian Constitution. The proposed amendments provide for a strict separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches in Armenia and transfer some powers from the president to the parliament and the prime minister.
  The amendments are also aimed at making the judicial system more independent by removing the president from the Council of Judges, which plays a key role in appointing judges.
  The amendments also lift the ban on dual citizenship.

Electoral Requirements

• In order for the referendum to pass, more than 50 percent of the votes had to be in favor of the constitutional amendment, and not less than one third of the number of registered voters had to cast their votes.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 2,982,904 (July 2005 est.)
• Registered Voters: 2,317,462 (November 2005 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,536,363 (2005)

·         Is Armenia a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Armenia ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (13 September 1993)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 6 (2003)

·         Human Development Index Position: 85 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Armenia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Armenia ratified CRPD: Yes (22 September 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 447,435 (est.)