The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) said it studied the speech of Armenia’s Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan, who is also heading the “Yes” campaign for the constitutional referendum, at a parliament session on Wednesday.
According to the CEC, pursuant to Article 49.8 the Electoral Code, as an issue requiring an immediate solution, they immediately contacted a representative of the "Yes" campaign and Suren Papikyan to draw their attention to Article 17 (14) of the constitutional law “On Referendum”, warning them to strictly observe the law during the referendum campaign.
In his speech, the minister said that Armenian citizens have the opportunity to vote according to their conscience during the April 5 referendum, and that all citizens are the beneficiaries of the proposed changes in the Constitutional Court.
Earlier lawyer Ruben Melikyan, who is leading the campaign for a “No” vote in the constitutional referendum, stated immediately after Suren Papikyan's speech that he had grossly violated the referendum law.