Armenia’s National Assembly has debated in the first reading a package of amendments to the Electoral Code and the Law on Referendums during an extraordinary session.

The legislative package was presented by Alkhas Ghazaryan, an MP from the ruling Civil Contract faction, who co-authored the initiative with fellow Civil Contract MPs Arusyak Manavazyan, Hasmik Hakobyan, and Arusyak Julhakyan.

Ghazaryan said the draft had been revised based on the government’s recommendations.

Under the proposed amendments, Armenian citizens who have reached the age of 18 by election day would be eligible to vote in parliamentary elections only if they have been physically present in Armenia for at least 366 days during the 730 days preceding the 48th day before the vote. In the case of snap parliamentary elections, the calculation would be made as of the 28th day before election day.

For local elections, the proposal would require eligible voters to be at least 18 years old, have been registered as residents of the respective community for at least six months before election day, and have been physically present in Armenia for at least 366 days during the preceding 730-day period, calculated under the same timeline.

The draft also specifies periods that would not be counted as absence from Armenia. These include time spent abroad on official duty by public servants, residence abroad with a family member serving in a diplomatic or consular mission, and studies at foreign higher education institutions.

The legislative package also introduces additional amendments concerning the compilation and maintenance of voter lists.

The proposed changes come in the wake of Armenia’s parliamentary elections held on June 7, during which concerns were raised over reports that large numbers of Armenian citizens were expected to travel from Russia to participate in the vote and potentially influence the outcome. During the election campaign, media reports claimed that Russia was interested in facilitating the arrival of up to 100,000 Armenian citizens to support pro-Russian opposition forces. Those claims were part of the political debate surrounding the elections.

Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has announced that he will not take up his parliamentary mandate and will not serve in the country’s newly elected parliament, which will be constituted following the parliamentary elections held on June 7.

Earlier this week, the governing Civil Contract party’s executive board selected Ruben Rubinyan, the current deputy speaker of parliament, as its nominee for speaker of the new National Assembly following an internal vote. Simonyan and Civil Contract parliamentary faction leader Hayk Konjoryan were also among the candidates.

“I wanted to continue serving as Speaker of the National Assembly because, as the longest-serving speaker in Armenia’s history to complete a full term, I believe my five years of work should have continued. But we have a party and an executive board, and I have always said that I would act in accordance with the board’s decision,” Simonyan told reporters at the National Assembly.

Asked whether he felt disappointed, Simonyan said he did not.

“I believe any working process requires change. I assume I will continue to serve my country and my party in another capacity at some stage. This has been a difficult year professionally. Do not forget that this was a post-war parliament that went through many challenges and difficult circumstances. The work that my colleagues and I carried out was truly demanding. I genuinely want to take some time to rest,” he said, adding that he also wants to put his personal life in order.

“I also want you to miss me for a while, and I don’t want to tire people of seeing me all the time. I have not discussed anything with the prime minister, and there is no agreement in place. I do not see myself participating in political life outside the framework of Civil Contract or without Nikol Pashinyan,” Simonyan added.

A performance-based evaluation system should be introduced in local self-government bodies from January 1, 2027, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a government meeting while addressing anti-corruption policy and public administration reforms.

According to the prime minister, Armenia’s anti-corruption policy should become more principled and be updated. Pashinyan said the need for reforms in public administration has become clearer to the public because the government has demonstrated the cause-and-effect relationship behind the changes.

“We were able to show the public how making the public administration system more effective can deliver very tangible benefits to citizens,” Pashinyan said.

According to the prime minister, those benefits could include the introduction of a health insurance system, higher pensions, a new social vulnerability assessment system, school construction and other initiatives. In this context, Pashinyan stressed the need to introduce performance-based remuneration systems in the local self-government sector.

“We now need to resolve this issue in the local self-government sector because we are deceiving ourselves. If local authorities are, for whatever reason, unwilling to make these decisions, then we must once again introduce performance-based remuneration systems,” he said. 

According to Pashinyan, the government should establish the framework for the system by law.

“We need to set out the formula in law and say: this is how the performance evaluation system works. Moreover, this should be done without delay,” he said. 

The prime minister stressed that the work should be organised so that the performance-based evaluation system is operational in local self-government bodies from January 1, 2027.

The future role of incumbent National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan is a new situation that still needs to be discussed, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a briefing with reporters.

Asked whether he had any idea what Simonyan might do if he gives up his parliamentary mandate, Pashinyan said he had not anticipated such a development.

“Naturally, I did not plan in advance that Mr. Simonyan would no longer be the Speaker of the National Assembly or a member of parliament. This is a new situation. We will discuss it and understand what comes next,” the prime minister said.

Asked whether he had any proposal for Simonyan, Pashinyan replied that having one now would mean he had planned the situation in advance.

“I was not prepared for this situation. If I had a proposal now, it would mean I had prepared for it from the outset, planned it and arranged everything. I had not thought about any of this,” he said.

According to Pashinyan, the situation is new to him and he has yet to formulate his position. Earlier, Simonyan announced that he would not take up his parliamentary mandate and would not serve in the newly elected National Assembly.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Yerevan on a working visit. She was welcomed at Zvartnots International Airport by Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

As part of the visit, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are scheduled to hold a meeting.

Following the meeting, the prime minister and the European Commission president will make statements and answer questions from media representatives.

The European Union is one of Armenia’s most reliable partners, and Armenia-EU relations are closer today than ever before.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made the remarks during a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Government headquarters.

Pashinyan said he was pleased to welcome the President of the European Commission to Armenia for the second time this year.

“Armenia-EU cooperation is based on the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and the Armenia-EU Partnership Agenda, which are founded on the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of human rights,” he said.

Pashinyan noted that during their bilateral meeting, the sides discussed the diversification of Armenia’s economy and various mechanisms through which the European Union could support those efforts.

The prime minister thanked the European Union for providing €52 million in budget support to Armenia, as well as for proposing autonomous trade measures for Armenian products in EU member states.

“Once this decision enters into force, Armenia will become the first country that neither has EU candidate status nor a free trade agreement with the European Union to benefit from this instrument,” Pashinyan said.

He added that the Armenian side hopes to complete the decision-making process as quickly as possible through active cooperation with the European Union and its member states, taking into account that the harvest season has already begun in Armenia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Armenia on the morning of July 2 on a working visit. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the President of the European Commission at the Government headquarters.

The elections held in Armenia once again demonstrated the strength of the country’s democracy. The spirit of the Velvet Revolution, led by Nikol Pashinyan in 2018, is alive and thriving.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the remarks during a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“Armenia continues on its path toward democracy, reforms, peace, and closer cooperation with the European Union. On June 7, the people of Armenia made their choice clear by voting for democracy, the rule of law, reforms, and peace, and by choosing an open and inclusive partnership with the European Union. We must now turn those aspirations into tangible results. You can count on our support in that effort,” the President of the European Commission said.

According to the results of Armenia’s parliamentary elections held on June 7, three political forces will be represented in the National Assembly. The ruling Civil Contract party will hold 64 seats, the Strong Armenia alliance will have 29 seats, and the Armenia alliance will hold 12 seats.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has commented on the European Union’s visa liberalization process for Armenia, emphasizing that the country is working diligently and has made significant progress.

Von der Leyen addressed the issue during a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, responding to a question about the possible timeline for achieving visa-free travel with the European Union.

“Armenia is the only partner currently engaged in an active visa liberalization dialogue with the European Union. This in itself demonstrates the level of our partnership. In April, we published the Visa Liberalization Action Plan progress report. We know that you are committed to this agenda, and we thank you for that. It is very impressive to see the progress that has been made, and I know how important this is for Armenia. New assessment missions will follow, including one this autumn, to evaluate progress and the processes related to the remaining benchmarks,” von der Leyen said.

She added that visa liberalization is a process that can be completed once the required reforms have been implemented.

“You are on the right track. I know you are working very hard on this. Once all the necessary requirements have been met, we can move to a visa-free regime. Some reforms are still needed, but once they are completed, you will cross the finish line,” the President of the European Commission said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recalled that during the election campaign he had stated that the Armenian government aims to complete the process within two years. He expressed hope that Armenia would have a visa-free regime with the European Union by 2029.

“Much depends on us, and in many cases the questions should not be directed to the European Union but to ourselves – how prepared we are and how effectively we implement the reform agenda. One thing is clear: the people of Armenia are waiting for this decision, and they voted in favor of it in the elections. Of course, we cannot afford to miss this opportunity, and I hope we will act quickly and effectively to achieve this goal within the planned timeframe,” Pashinyan said.

Armenia is interested in deepening cooperation with the European Union in the areas of connectivity, energy, and high technologies.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made the remarks during a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

According to Pashinyan, Armenia and the European Union have made significant progress in the field of connectivity in recent months.

“A clear example of this is the adoption of the Joint Statement on the Armenia-EU Connectivity Partnership at the Armenia-EU Summit, as well as the signing in Brussels last week, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Connectivity Agenda Platform, of a Letter of Intent and a Confirmation Letter between Armenia and the European Commission, as well as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, on feasibility studies for three Armenian border crossing points and two northern highways,” Pashinyan said.

He noted that one of Armenia’s strategically important projects in the energy sector is the construction of energy storage facilities, which will enable more efficient use of electricity generated from renewable energy sources.

“We also discussed the approval and allocation of European Union support for this initiative,” he said.

Referring to the Crossroads of Peace initiative, Pashinyan stressed the importance of expanding energy connectivity, including the construction of power transmission lines and interconnectors with Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

“This can contribute both to strengthening energy security and to achieving green transition goals,” the prime minister said.

He added that Armenia is also interested in closer cooperation with the European Union in digital technologies, artificial intelligence, high technologies, and innovation, while creating an environment that encourages greater European private investment.

“In this context, I also attach importance to Armenia’s participation in the Black Sea submarine electricity and digital cable projects,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan thanked the European Union for its continued support for Armenia’s democratic institutions, economic resilience, and the deepening of bilateral cooperation for the benefit of the peoples and in support of further strengthening Armenia-EU relations.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described the initialing of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement in Washington in August 2025 as a historic event.

Von der Leyen made the remarks during a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan.

“The initialing of the peace agreement last year was a historic event – one of the most important steps this region has taken in decades. The same applies to the ongoing normalization of relations with Türkiye. These decisions required political courage and leadership, and their benefits will be remarkable. Open borders will transform Armenia’s economic future and anchor the country at one of the world’s strategically important crossroads. That is why we are ready to work together to turn this vision into reality,” the President of the European Commission said.

Speaking about connectivity initiatives in the South Caucasus, von der Leyen referred to the Connectivity for Peace Package of up to €200 million, which is being implemented through the recently launched regional transport infrastructure platform and has the potential to mobilize up to €2 billion in public and private investment.

She also recalled that on July 1, in Baku, she had announced an additional €20 million to support efforts to promote peace between the peoples of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

According to von der Leyen, these support programs will enable Armenia to continue implementing ongoing projects, including border crossing points and road infrastructure.

“We are building real infrastructure for peace. At the same time, we are building bridges between democracies. We also want to support the potential of Armenia’s border communities and micro-enterprises,” she said.

Von der Leyen also stated that Armenia can count on the European Union.

The President of the European Commission arrived in Armenia on the morning of July 2 on a working visit. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed Ursula von der Leyen at the Government headquarters.