• CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
• CHAPTER 2. ORGANIZATION OF THE POPULATION CENSUS
• CHAPTER 3. INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
• CHAPTER 4. TRANSITIONAL PROVISION

CHAPTER 1

GENERAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 1. TASKS OF THE LAW

This law regulates legal relations arisen in preparation and conduct of population census, initial (individual) data accumulation and protection, as well as summary data dissemination.

ARTICLE 2. LEGISLATION ON POPULATION CENSUS

The Population Census legislation is composed of this Law, Law of the Republic of Armenia "On State Statistics" and other legislative acts regulating population census.

ARTICLE 3. THE SPHERE OF POPULATION CENSUS ACTIVITY

This Law is mandatory to all the persons being present (permanently or temporarily) in the Republic of Armenia at the moment of the population census, as well as to those persons permanently residing in the Republic of Armenia who are absent temporarily from the republic at the moment of the population census.

ARTICLE 4. MAIN REQUIREMENTS TO THE POPULATION CENSUS ORGANIZATION

Population Census is conducted every ten years.

Resolution on conduction of the population census, which defines the date of the population census conduction, is adopted by the Government of the Republic of Armenia no later than 2 years before the start of the population census.

Republican and marz commissions are established with the aim to support the population census preparation and conduction, staff of which is confirmed by the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

State and local self-government bodies, within their competence, are responsible for properly organization and conduction of the population census.

ARTICLE 5. PRINCIPAL TASKS OF THE POPULATION CENSUS

Principle tasks of the population census is to receive information on population needed for developing of social and economic development trends of the Republic of Armenia, demographic and social surveys, study of labour resources allocation and use, population number and composition, current accounting and forecast, as well as formation of election centers.

ARTICLE 6. BODIES CONDUCTING POPULATION CENSUS AND THEIR OBLIGATIONS

Responsible for the population census preparation and conduction, receiving and publishing of aggregated data is the authorized state statistics body (hereinafter referred to as authorized body), that is obliged to ensure:

a) Impartiality and scientific grounds of the population census program (questionnaire), its conformity with the international norms and standards,

b) publicity and accessibility of aggregated outputs derived from the processing of the population census materials,

c) confidentiality of initial (individual) information.

CHAPTER 2

ORGANIZATION OF THE POPULATION CENSUS

ARTICLE 7. ADOPTION OF THE DOCUMENTS ON THE POPULATION CENSUS

Program of the population census (questionnaire) is adopted by the Government of the Republic of Armenia. The questionnaire can not include questions not foreseen for the statistical purposes. Documents on population census (population census questionnaire, organizational and instructional and other documents) are adopted by the authorized body.

ARTICLE 8. CONDUCTION OF THE PILOT POPULATION CENSUS

Experiment of methodological and organizational principles of the population census, software and technology for processing of materials is implemented through the pilot population census.

Pilot population census is conducted at least one and half years before the main population census covering no less than one percent of the population of the republic within the deadlines and areas determined by the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

ARTICLE 9. PERSONS CONDUCTING INTERVIEW WITH POPULATION

Population census is conducted by the enumerators, who are employees involved and instructed by the authorized body, through visiting dwelling and other premises and conducting direct interview with each adults (or one of the adult members of a family) living in there and completing answers of the questions in the population census documents.

Information on juveniles and temporarily absent persons is given by adult members of a family.

Separate groups of population (servicemen, persons taking their punishments in correctional facilities, as well as staff of the consular and diplomatic institutions) are recorded by the relevant state bodies in accordance with the general order.

Records are made according to the place of residence based on the information given by the population without documental confirmation and irrespective of availability of registration.

ARTICLE 10. OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF CITIZENS
Population census is obligatory and respondents are obliged to give correct and complete answers to all the questions of the population census questionnaire.
Each person has a right to be acquainted with information on him/her recorded in the population census questionnaire.

ARTICLE 11. FINANCING OF THE POPULATION CENSUS WORK

Population census work is financed from the state budget of the Republic of Armenia based on the estimates on expenditures for performing in time and fully all the measures related to the population census preparation, conduction, processing of materials.

ARTICLE 12. USE, PUBLICITY AND PROTECTION OF THE INFORMATION DERIVED DURING THE POPULATION CENSUS

Final outputs of the population census are used or published only in aggregated and grouped form.

Initial (individual) data of the population census are confidential and not subject to publishing.

All the population census documents are kept in accordance with the order established by the authorized body.

ARTICLE 13. LIABILITY FOR VIOLATION OF THE LAW ON POPULATION CENSUS

Employees disposing individual information on population are forbidden to inform anyone about contents of the completed population census documents. In case of violation of the order on using initial (individual) data of the population census, population census employees bear responsibility in accordance with the order established by the legislation of the Republic of Armenia.

Judicial, court and other bodies may not use initial materials of the population census as evidence.

Refusals to answer the questions of the population census questionnaire incur responsibility in accordance with the order of the Law of the Republic of Armenia.

CHAPTER 3

INTERNATIONAL TREATIES

ARTICLE 14. INTERNATIONAL TREATIES

In case the rules determined for the international treaties in the Republic of Armenia are different from the rules determined by this Law, the rules of international laws are applied.

CHAPTER 4

TRANSITIONAL PROVISION

ARTICLE 15. CONDUCT OF THE FIRST POPULATION CENSUS

The first population census in the Republic of Armenia shall be conducted in 2001.

President of the Republic of Armenia
Robert Kocharyan

13 November 1999
AL-13