Armenia bans personal names in political party titles

The Armenian Parliament has adopted amendments to the Electoral Code in the second and final reading.

According to Sputnik Armenia, 66 deputies voted in favour of the bill, while 16 opposed it.

Drafted by members of the Civil Contract Party, the legislation prohibits the use of personal names in the titles of political parties and electoral blocs, as well as the names of state or municipal entities (e.g., “Armenia,” “Yerevan”).

The ban on personal names aims to shift from personalised politics to institutional politics, while the restriction on state or municipal names prevents political forces from identifying themselves with the state. The law also forbids offensive language in party names.

During the discussion, Deputy Minister of Justice Gevorg Kocharyan reminded that since December 2024, ballots are considered invalid if foreign objects, including annotated papers, are found inside the envelope—a rule that will apply in the June 7 elections. He also noted that the requirement to list all parties within electoral blocs in official names had previously been removed.

On the day of the debate, supporters of Samvel Karapetyan held a protest outside parliament, responding to his party’s plan to participate in the elections under the title “Strong Armenia with Samvel Karapetyan,” which will now have to be changed.

Opposition lawmakers criticised the initiative as politically motivated, highlighting its adoption just before the start of candidate registration on April 13.

Additionally, the extraordinary session agenda included a bill amending the law on audiovisual media to regulate the use of deepfakes—artificially created images and voices. The legislation requires TV and radio broadcasters to clearly label such content.

Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan stated that these requirements do not yet apply to online platforms, though corresponding regulations are expected to be developed in the coming months.