Signature collection in Armenia: will there be a referendum on EU membership?
Signature collection in Armenia
Since September 16, signature collection has been underway in all municipalities of Yerevan and regions of Armenia on the issue of holding a referendum on EU membership. The initiative comes from the “Democratic Forces Platform,” formed by pro-Western political factions. The organizing group presented the results of the first 15 days of the signature collection.
“We already have 27,560 signatures, which amounts to 55.12% of the 50,000 signatures we need to bring the issue to the parliamentary agenda,” said Hovsep Khurshudyan, a member of the initiative group, during a press conference.
According to him, the majority of those who expressed support for holding the referendum are residents of Yerevan (58.5%). He positively assessed the pace of signature collection in the first two weeks, noting that the constitution allows for 60 days to complete the process.
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The issue of holding a referendum on EU membership has been actively discussed in Armenia for several months. At the end of June, parliamentary hearings on this issue were even held. However, the ruling team considers these discussions premature. Their stance is explained by the fact that “the referendum is the final stage in the membership process,” and Armenia has not yet submitted an official application to join the European Union.
In response, extra-parliamentary political forces advocating for European integration appealed to the Central Election Commission in early September, requesting permission to start collecting signatures for the EU membership referendum.
The initiative group must collect 50,000 signatures to present their proposal for discussion in the National Assembly. If the ruling majority votes against the bill submitted by the initiative group in parliament, they will need to gather 300,000 signatures to bring the issue back to the parliamentary agenda. Again, 60 days will be allotted for this stage. However, individuals who have already expressed their position in the first stage will not be able to participate in the second phase of signature collection.
The initiative group plans to collect all signatures within a month
According to Hovsep Khurshudyan, a member of the initiative group and a political analyst, the necessary 50,000 signatures can be collected within 30 days, rather than the allotted 60. In this way, Armenian society will demonstrate “its will, determination, and active stance on the matter.”
The initiative group consists of 51 members. One of the group members, lawyer Artak Zeynalyan, also believes it is important to complete the signature collection as soon as possible:
“Events around us are unfolding at an accelerated pace. The sooner we can submit this bill to the National Assembly, the better our chances. People are using legal mechanisms to express their position and will. They are not seizing government buildings or blackmailing authorities. Therefore, the parliament is obligated to fulfill its duties and ensure the issue is discussed. This is a civilized and lawful process. People are freely expressing their will and their right to freedom of expression, participating in national and local governance.”
“The authorities’ position is one of passive waiting”
According to Khurshudyan, Armenia’s authorities are in a state of passive anticipation:
“They are neither saying ‘yes’ nor ‘no.’ The authorities are currently waiting for the outcome of certain international events, including the results of elections in Georgia and the U.S. After that, they believe it will be easier for them to decide — whether to accept or reject this bill.”
In the meantime, the political analyst believes that Armenia needs to position itself and declare its course on the international political stage now.
Hovsep Khurshudyan urged the authorities not to tie the process they initiated to foreign policy events.
Two different referendums — before and after
According to the initiative group’s representative to the Central Election Commission, lawyer Artak Zeynalyan, their legislative initiative is only meant to announce the start of Armenia’s EU accession process.
He emphasizes that this referendum does not replace the one that will need to be held later, at the time of signing an international agreement.
“Of course, a membership application must be submitted, followed by the process of alignment and convergence with EU standards. Only after that it will be possible to obtain candidate status. And then, when an international agreement is signed, it will need to hold a referendum with the question: ‘Do you agree to join the EU?'” he explained.
The lawyer assures that the bill, authored by him personally, “does not create any obstacles to Armenia’s future path and ensures flexibility.”
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Signature collection in Armenia
