Early presidential elections were held in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

on 3 March 2022, following President

Armen Sarkissian Armen Vardani Sarkissian ( hy, Արմեն Վարդանի Սարգսյան; also written as Sarksyan and Sargsyan) (born 23 June 1952) is an Armenian politician, physicist and computer scientist who served as the 4th president of Armenia from 9 A ...

's resignation on 23 January 2022.

Background

In accordance with Article 124 of the amended Constitution, a

non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

president will be elected for a seven-year, non-renewable term. In accordance with Article 125, the candidate that receives at least three fourths of votes of the total number of deputies of the National Assembly will be elected

President of Armenia The president of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Նախագահ, Hayastani Nakhagah) is the head of state and the guarantor of independence and territorial integrity of Armenia elected to a single seven-year term by the National Assembly of Arme ...

. If the president is not elected, a second round is held wherein all candidates who took part in the first round may participate. In the second round, the candidate that receives at least three fifths of votes of the total number of deputies will be elected as President of the Republic. If a president is still not elected, a third round of elections will be held wherein the two candidates who received a greater number of votes in the second round may participate. In the third round, the candidate who receives the majority of votes of the total number of deputies will be elected. According to Article 125 of the constitution, at least one fourth of the total number of deputies of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

shall have the right to nominate a candidate for president. This means that at least 27 members of parliament must back the respective candidate in order for that candidate to be officially nominated. Thus, in the case of a wide consensus, a candidate may very well run unopposed since minority parties with less than 27 members in the National Assembly will not be able to nominate a candidate.

Eligibility

According to the amended constitution, everyone who has reached the age of forty, held citizenship of only Armenia for the preceding six years and permanently resided in Armenia for the preceding six years, has the right of suffrage, and speaks the

Armenian language Armenian ( classical: , reformed: , , ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is the official language of Armenia. Historically spoken in the Armenian Highlands, today Armenian is widely spoken t ...

may be elected as President of the Republic.

Candidates

The ruling Civil Contract party (71 seats) and the primary opposition

Armenia Alliance Armenia Alliance ( hy, Հայաստան դաշինք, Hayastan dashink’, HD) is an Armenian political alliance. It was founded in 2021 and is currently led by former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan. History During the 2020–2021 Armenian ...

(29 seats) met the 27 seat requirement to nominate a presidential candidate. However, the junior opposition

I Have Honor Alliance I Have Honor ( hy, Պատիվ ունեմ դաշինք, Pativ unem dashink’) is a political alliance in Armenia. It was founded on 15 May 2021 and consists of the Republican Party of Armenia and the Homeland Party. History The alliance was form ...

only has 6 seats and cannot nominate a candidate by itself.

Opposition boycott

The

and

of the National Assembly announced they had decided “not to participate in the presidential election in any way.” The two opposition alliances said in a joint statement, “The Constitution of Armenia demands that the President of the Republic be impartial, guided by national interests. Although the institution of the President should act as a truly neutral institution uniting the society, the government in power has decided to nominate and elect a President representing the ruling force only.” Noting that Armenia is facing serious internal and external challenges, the opposition MPs emphasized that “there is no alternative to national unity and public solidarity.”

Results

References

{{Portal bar, Politics