The Armenian People, accepting as a basis the fundamental principles of Armenian statehood and pan-national aspirations enshrined in the Declaration on the Independence of Armenia, having fulfilled the sacred behest of its freedom-loving ancestors to restore the sovereign state, dedicated to the strengthening and prosperity of the fatherland, with the aim of ensuring the freedom, general well-being, and civic solidarity of the generations, and affirming its commitment to universal values, adopts the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.
CHAPTER 1. THE FOUNDATIONS OF CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER
Article 1
The Republic of Armenia is a sovereign, democratic, social, and rule-of-law state.
Article 2
In the Republic of Armenia, the power belongs to the people.
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The people shall exercise its power through free elections, referenda, as well as through state and local self-government bodies and officials prescribed by the Constitution.
Usurpation of the power by any organization or individual shall be a crime.
Article 3. The Human Being, His Dignity, Fundamental Rights, and Freedoms
The human being shall be the supreme value in the Republic of Armenia. The inalienable dignity of the human being shall be the integral basis of his rights and freedoms.
The respect for and protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the human being and the citizen shall be the duties of the public power.
The public power shall be bound by the fundamental rights and freedoms of the human being and the citizen as the directly applicable law.
Article 4. The Principle of Separation and Balance of the Powers
State power shall be exercised in accordance with the Constitution and the laws, based on the separation and balance of the legislative, executive, and judicial powers.
Article 5. The Hierarchy of Legal Norms
The Constitution shall have supreme legal force.
Laws shall conform to the constitutional laws, and sub-legislative normative legal acts shall conform to the constitutional laws and laws.
In case there are contradictions between the norms of international treaties ratified by the Republic of Armenia and the norms of laws, the norms of the international treaties shall be applied.
Article 6. The Principle of Legality
State and local self-government bodies and officials shall have the power to perform only such acts for which they are empowered by the Constitution or laws.
Bodies prescribed by the Constitution, based on the Constitution and laws and with the purpose of ensuring their implementation, may be authorized by the law to adopt sub-legislative normative legal acts. Authorizing norms shall comply with the principle of legal certainty.
Laws and sub-legislative normative legal acts shall come into force after being published in the manner stipulated by law.
Article 7. The Suffrage Principles
Elections of the National Assembly and community councils, as well as referenda shall be carried out on the basis of universal, equal, free, and direct suffrage, by secret vote.
Article 8. Ideological Pluralism and the Multipartisan System
Ideological pluralism and the multipartisan system shall be guaranteed in the Republic of Armenia.
Parties shall be formed and operate freely. Equal legal opportunities for activities of the parties shall be guaranteed by law.
Parties shall promote the formulation and expression of the people’s political will.
The structure and activities of parties may not contravene the democratic principles.
Article 9. Guaranteeing Local Self-Government
Local self-government is guaranteed in the Republic of Armenia as one of the essential foundations of democracy.
Article 10. Guaranteeing Property
All forms of property shall be recognized and equally protected in the Republic of Armenia.
Subsoils and water resources shall be exclusive property of the State.
Article 11. The Economic Order
The basis of the economic order in the Republic of Armenia shall be the social market economy, which shall be based on private property, freedom of economic activity, free economic competition, and through the state policy aimed at general economic well-being and social justice.
Article 12. Preservation of the Environment and Sustainable Development
The state shall promote the preservation, improvement, and regeneration of the environment, and the reasonable utilization of natural resources, governed by the principle of sustainable development and taking into account the responsibility towards future generations.
Everyone shall take care of the preservation of the environment.
Article 13. Foreign Policy
The foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia shall be conducted on the basis of international law with the aim of establishing good-neighborly and mutually-beneficial relations with all states.
Article 14. The Armed Forces and Defense
The armed forces of the Republic of Armenia shall ensure the defense, security, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, and the inviolability of its borders.
The armed forces of the Republic of Armenia shall maintain neutrality in political matters and shall be under civilian control.
Every citizen shall be obliged to participate in the defense of the Republic of Armenia in the manner stipulated by law.
Article 15. Promotion of Culture, Education, and Science, Protection of the Armenian language and Cultural Heritage
The state shall promote the development of culture, education, and science.
The Armenian language and the cultural heritage shall be under the care and protection of the state.
Article 16. Protection of the Family
Family, being the natural and fundamental cell of society and the basis for the preservation and reproduction of the population, as well as motherhood and childhood shall be under special protection and aegis of the state.
Article 17. The State and Religious Organizations
The freedom of activity of religious organizations shall be guaranteed in the Republic of Armenia.
Religious organizations shall be separate from the state.
Article 18. The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church
The Republic of Armenia shall recognize the exceptional mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, as the national church, in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, in the development of its national culture, and in the preservation of its national identity.
The relationship between the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church may be regulated by a law.
Article 19. Ties with the Armenian Diaspora
The Republic of Armenia shall carry out a policy aimed at developing comprehensive ties and preserving Armenianness with the Armenian Diaspora, and shall facilitate repatriation.
Based on international law, the Republic of Armenia shall contribute to protecting the Armenian language and Armenian historical and cultural values in other countries, and advancing Armenian educational and cultural life in such countries.
Article 20. The State Language of the Republic of Armenia
The Armenian language shall be the state language of the Republic of Armenia.
Article 21. The Symbols of the Republic of Armenia
The flag of the Republic of Armenia shall be tricolor – with equal horizontal stripes of red, blue, and orange.
The coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia shall depict, in the center on a shield, Mount Ararat with Noah’s ark and the coats of arms of the four kingdoms of historical Armenia. The shield is held by an eagle and a lion, while a sword, a branch, a sheaf, a chain, and a ribbon are depicted below the shield.
The detailed description of the flag and the coat of arms shall be stipulated by law.
The anthem of the Republic of Armenia shall be stipulated by law.
Article 22. The Capital of the Republic of Armenia
The capital of the Republic of Armenia is Yerevan.
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