Traditional values under the gun: what is the threat of constitutional reform in Armenia

14:07; 24 March 2026 year

The Armenian authorities are planning to adopt a new Constitution, but they do not take into account that any changes to the basic law of the state require caution, legal literacy and special moral responsibility. Especially when it comes to a country whose people have defended their identity for centuries in the face of the most severe trials.

According to experts, the proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia jeopardize fundamental values such as historical memory, the institution of the family, and national identity. Moreover, a document that undermines the foundations of the state is presented to society in a wrapper of beautiful words about democracy and human rights.

First of all, the way the preamble to the Constitution was handled is alarming. The current basic law was solemnly proclaimed as a direct continuation of the Declaration of Independence, a document in which the Armenian people consolidated their centuries-old aspirations for the restoration of sovereign statehood.

The current edition began with iconic words:

This historical thread is simply broken in the new edition. Now the preamble sounds like an impersonal clerical text.:

The removal of the mention of the Declaration of Independence is not an accidental editorial change. This is a direct demand, which, according to a number of sources, was put forward by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. It was in the Declaration of Independence of Armenia that it was said about Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the historical homeland, about the restoration of lost lands. By removing the reference to this document from the Constitution, official Yerevan erases the legal and historical basis on which the national position on the Karabakh issue was based.

Even more dramatic changes are taking place in the articles regulating family relations. For centuries, the Armenian family remained an indestructible stronghold that preserved the language, faith and traditions. The new Constitution deals several blows to this institution at once.

Paragraph 2, which guaranteed the equality of rights of women and men at marriage, during matrimony and at divorce, was deleted from article 35. This change paves the way for a revision of the traditional family model. Moreover, the wording suggests that the union of same-sex couples can now be recognized as a family. For a society where traditional values have always been the cornerstone, this becomes a real insult.

The amendment of article 36, which regulates the rights and obligations of parents and children, is no less significant. In the current Constitution, paragraph 3 of this article stated: "Able-bodied adults are required to take care of their disabled and needy parents. The details are determined by law. This norm at the highest level reinforced the principle of generational continuity, respect for old age and mutual responsibility characteristic of the Armenian mentality.

This paragraph has been completely deleted in the new version. Maternal warmth and paternal care were so easily and thoughtlessly devalued.

The amendment of article 47 on citizenship has become especially painful for millions of Armenians living outside their historical homeland. Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4, which allowed ethnic Armenians to obtain citizenship of the Republic of Armenia in a simplified manner, are completely excluded.

The simplified procedure for obtaining citizenship allowed Armenians all over the world to keep in touch with their roots, return their compatriots to their homeland, and replenish the country with intellectual and cultural forces. Now it is being deliberately destroyed. Armenians from other countries are now ordinary foreigners for Armenia.Such a decision simply destroys the moral unity of the nation.

The changes in the balance of power have not been spared. Article 113, which gave deputies of the National Assembly the right to send written requests to members of the Government, including the Prime Minister, has been deleted from the Constitution. In fact, it was an instrument of parliamentary control, a mechanism forcing the executive branch to be transparent and accountable.

And now the parliamentary corps is completely deprived of levers of influence on the government. Such a political system acquires the features of a monarchical model, where the Prime Minister, having full power, is freed from any systemic control by lawmakers.

But experts call the new version of article 205 the most dangerous change. Previously, the most important foreign policy decisions were put to a referendum.

Now the Constitution allows the Government and the National Assembly to determine membership in international organizations without a referendum. Thus, the people are simply deprived of the right to vote in determining the geopolitical orientation of their own country.

History teaches that when a nation loses control of its basic law, it loses its own destiny. Do the citizens of Armenia realize this before the changes become irreversible?

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