| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Azgayin Zhoghov / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| LEGAL FRAMEWORK |
| Electoral Law |
5 February 1999
Last updated: 01.07.2016 |
| Mode of designation |
directly elected 101
other 4 |
| Constituencies |
- One national constituency (national list)
- 13 multi-member constituencies (district seats) |
| Voting system |
Proportional:
Proportional representation system using national and district lists with a possible second round of voting so as to achieve a 'stable parliamentary majority' (54 per cent of the total seats).
National list and district lists:
Each political party or alliance of political parties running in elections will submit one national list of candidates and one district list for each constituency.
Ballot paper and voting:
- One page of the ballot paper displays the national list, specifying the order in which the candidates will be elected (closed list). Another page displays the district candidates without specifying the order in which they will be elected (open list). The district candidates also appear on the national list.
- Each elector votes for a party that appears in the national list and may also give a preference vote to a district candidate.
Four seats reserved for national minorities:
The national lists of each party or alliance may include a second part which comprises candidates representing the four largest national minorities (Yezidis, Russians, Assyrians and Kurds). That part may include four sections (one for each national minority), each of which may include up to four candidates. The D'Hondt method is used for the distribution of these four seats. If a party does not have a minority candidate, the seat passes to the party with the next largest number of votes that does have a minority candidate.
Distribution of seats:
- Political parties contesting the election on their own must surpass a five per cent threshold. Alliances must achieve a minimum of seven per cent.
- Seats are firstly distributed to parties at the national level according to the number of votes received for the national list. Then, half of the seats won by each party are distributed according to the national list and half according to district lists. Numbers of seats are rounded down for national lists and up for district lists.
- The seats for the national list are allocated to candidates in the order in which the candidates appear on that list. The seats for the district lists are allocated to candidates according to the number of preference votes they receive. Candidates who win a district seat will be struck off the national list.
Possible second round of voting:
- If a party or alliance wins a 'stable parliamentary majority' (54 per cent of the total seats), a second round will not be held.
- If no party or alliance obtains a stable majority, coalition talks are held after the preliminary results have been announced. To form a coalition government, a stable parliamentary majority must be achieved. However, a coalition may only comprise a maximum of two parties or two alliances.
- If a stable parliamentary majority is not formed within 28 days of polling day, a second round of elections will be held between the two parties or alliances that won the highest number of votes in the first round. The two contenders may form new alliances with other parties that ran in the first round.
Method to fill vacancies between general elections:
Vacancies are firstly filled by the unsuccessful candidates from the district elections who won the next highest number of preference votes after the original winner. If there are no more candidates who fit that criterion, vacancies are then filled by the candidate who is next in line on the national lists and from the same party. Candidates from the national minorities are elected first, followed by other candidates.
Vacancies are filled in such a way that the number of men or women never falls below 25 per cent. If necessary, vacancies are given to the next most popular candidate of the less represented gender in the first part of the national list.
Voting is not compulsory. |
| Voter requirements |
- Age: 18 years
- Armenian citizenship
- Disqualifications: mental illness, criminal conviction, allegiance to a foreign State
|
| CANDIDATES |
| Eligibility |
- Qualified electors
- Age: 25 years
- Armenian citizenship
- Permanent residence in the country for at least four years immediately preceding the elections
- Persons with a good command of the Armenian language
|
| Incompatibilities |
- Membership of the government and judicial bodies
- Membership of the armed forces
- Employment in the Public Prosecutor's Office or in national security, internal affairs, tax or customs bodies
|
| Candidacy requirements |
- Candidacy by party or alliance. The electoral list of a political party or alliance of political parties may include persons who are not members of that political party or alliance.
- The first part of each list (excluding the section reserved for minorities) must comprise between 80 and 300 candidates.
- At least 30 per cent of the candidates in the first part of the national list must be women.
- Not more than 70 per cent of all candidates in the district lists can be of the same gender.
- Candidates must submit a deposit equivalent to 10,000 times the minimum salary (AMD 10 million, about USD 21,000). It is reimbursable if the candidate is elected or obtains at least four per cent of the vote.
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