THE LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

On adoption of amendments and changes in RA Criminal Code, RA Procedural Code and RA Code on Administrative Violations Art. 1. Art. 133, 133¹ and 133² of RA Criminal Code shall be rewritten in the following manner:

"Article 133. Hindering exercising of electoral right, activities of electoral commissions and implementation of authorities of persons participating in elections.

Hindering exercising of electoral rights by citizens or hindering activities of electoral commissions, as well as hindering implementation of authorities of member of electoral commission, member of initiating group, candidate or his proxy, observer, representative of mass media, authorized person of party or party bloc, will entail penalty of 200 to 400 times minimal salary:

Same acts, which

1. take place with threat to cause damage to property.
2. are accompanied with violence or threat of violence.
3. take place as abuse of position

will entail imprisonment for up to 5 years.

Article 133¹. Misrepresentation of results of elections or voting

Obviously incorrect counting of ballots during referendum or elections, or obviously misrepresented ratification of results of elections or referendum, stealing ballot box as well as misrepresentation, in this or that manner, of results of elections or voting will entail penalty of 200 to 500 minimal salary, or imprisonment for 2 to 7 years.

Article 133². Spreading calumnious information about candidate, party or party bloc during elections

Spreading calumnious information about candidate, party or party bloc during elections, aimed at confusion of voters will entail penalty of 200 to 500 times minimal salary or imprisonment for up to 5 years."

Article 2. New articles 133³, 133⁴, 133⁵ and 133⁶ shall be inserted to RA Criminal Code

"Article 133³. Violating procedure of compilation of voter lists

Violating the determined procedure of compilation of voter lists by official in charge of compilation of voter lists by falsification of list will entail imprisonment for up to 1 year, deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or perform certain activities for up to 2 years, or penalty of up to 500 times minimal salary.

Article 133⁴. Voting more than once or voting for some other person

Voting more than once or voting for some other person by presenting incorrect information, submitting false documents or some other way, will entail imprisonment for up to 1 year, or penalty of up to 500 times minimal salary.

Article 133⁵. Hindering free expression of voter’s will

Forcing voter to vote in favor of or against certain candidate, against all candidates, participate or refuse to participate in voting, accompanied by threat to cause damage to property, by giving bribe, violation or threat of violation or application of guns will entail imprisonment for 2 to 5 years, or penalty of up to 500 times minimal salary.

Article 133⁶. Violation of right of secret voting

Violation of secrecy of voting by forcing voters to report on their vote, examining voted ballots to detect results of voting, entering voting booths (rooms), as well as other kinds of violation of voting secrecy will entail imprisonment for up to 2 years, or penalty of 200 to 500 times minimal salary."

Article 5. Articles 40¹, 40³, 40⁴, 40⁵ on administrative violations will be rewritten in the following manner:

"Article 40¹. Holding electoral campaign on the day of voting or the day before, hindering the right to hold electoral campaign, as well as other kinds of violations of established procedure on electoral campaign.

Holding electoral campaign on the day of voting or the day before, hindering the right to hold electoral campaign, as well as other kinds of violations of established procedure on electoral campaign will entail penalty of 200 to 500 times minimal salary."

Article 40³. Candidate (party or party bloc) fails to declare application of means of their pre-electoral fund.

If candidate (party or party bloc) fails to declare application of means of his pre-electoral fund, it will entail penalty of 100 up to 200 times minimal salary.

Article 40⁴. Failure to return the seal of electoral commission

If person responsible for the seal of electoral commission fails to return the seal within determined date, it will retail penalty of 300 to 500 times minimal salary.

Article 40⁵. Entering precinct center with guns.

If on the voting day person who has the right to possess guns, demonstratively enters precinct center (voting booth, room) with a gun in the absence of emergency, it will entail him penalty of up to 500 times minimal salary.

Article 6. Insert new articles 40², 40⁶, 40⁷ in RA Code on Administrative Violations, with the following content:

"Article 40². Hindering proxies, observers or representatives of mass media to get familiarized with electoral documents, failure to provide them with copies of protocols of commissions.

Hindering proxies, observers or representatives of mass media to get familiarized with electoral documents, failure to provide them with copies of protocols of commissions will retail in penalty of 100 to 300 times minimal salary.

Article 40⁶. Failure to fill the register of electoral commission or incorrect recording in the register.

Failure to fill the register of electoral commission or incorrect recording in the register will entail penalty of up to 300 times minimal salary.

Article 40⁷. Forging in official papers for support of nomination of candidate.

Forging in official papers for support of nomination of candidate will entail penalty of up to 500 times minimal salary.

Article 7. In Art. 223 of the Code, words "People’s judges of district (municipal) people’s courts" shall be replaced with words "Judges of First Instance Courts", and figures "40.1, 40.3 – 40.6" shall be replaced with figures "40¹ – 40⁷".

Article 8.

This Law will come into effect from the moment of its official publication.

Yerevan, 1999