The Armenian Parliament has passed amendments to the Electoral Code in its second and final reading, prohibiting the use of personal names in the titles of political parties and electoral blocs, as well as the names of state or municipal entities such as “Armenia” or “Yerevan.”

As many as 66 deputies voted in favor of the bill, while 16 opposed it, The Caspian Post reports, citing Sputnik Armenia.

Drafted by members of the ruling Civil Contract Party, the legislation aims to shift the political system away from personalized politics toward institutional politics, while preventing political forces from associating themselves directly with the state. The law also bans offensive language in party names.

During the debate, Deputy Minister of Justice Gevorg Kocharyan reminded lawmakers 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.

The law sparked immediate reactions. Supporters of Samvel Karapetyan protested outside parliament, responding to his party’s planned election title, “Strong Armenia with Samvel Karapetyan,” which will now need to be changed. Opposition lawmakers criticized the timing of the bill, calling it politically motivated as candidate registration begins on April 13.

The extraordinary parliamentary session also considered amendments to audiovisual media regulations to address the use of deepfakes-artificially generated images and voices. The legislation mandates that TV and radio broadcasters clearly label such content. Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan noted that the rules currently do not apply to online platforms, but regulations for digital media are expected in the coming months.