The campaign for the referendum on constitutional amendments will begin on February 17 and will end on April 3. This was announced by the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission, Tigran Mukuchyan. The timetable for the main referendum activities has been approved.
“A period of 44 days has been set for the campaign,” he stated.
Under the draft constitutional amendments, the parliamentary majority has proposed terminating the powers of the President of the Constitutional Court, Hrayr Tovmasyan, and six members. The proposed amendments envisage ending the tenure of the Constitutional Court president and members elected before April 9, 2018. The draft does not apply only to judges Arman Dilanyan and Vahe Grigoryan.
Single “yes” and “no” headquarters will be formed. It is already known that the “yes” headquarters will be led by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Suren Papikyan. To initiate a “no” campaign, deputies who voted against the draft may apply, for which 7 days are given; if no application is made, another option comes into effect.
“If no one applies and registers within the specified period, then after that period expires, a group of 50 citizens can apply and register as a ‘no’ campaign initiative,” the CEC Chairman said.
Even before the campaign has begun, supporters of “yes” and “no” have started campaigning. As an example, statements by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Facebook were cited. According to the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission, campaigning can take place outside the period defined by law. The campaign period exists so that certain limited resources, such as the allocation of airtime, poster sites, and the provision of halls, can be regulated, and so that the equal right of the sides to campaign is maintained during that time.
The exact number of voters has not yet been announced; it will be published in the coming days by the authorised body, the police.
The amount to be spent on the referendum is not yet clear. The CEC Chairman stated that in all likelihood, an amount similar to that spent during the 2018 parliamentary elections will be spent, in the range of 2.5 to 2.7 billion drams.
