Types Of Absenteeism: The Ways Of Increasing The Citizens' Political Activity

Abstract

This article is devoted to the research on the phenomenon of absenteeism and its influence on the electoral process. The aim of the article is to present the types of absenteeism, the causes of occurrence of absenteeism, and the ways of overcoming absenteeism. It is necessary to mention the becoming of absenteeism into the subject of study by sociologists, politicians, and later lawyers. According to Article 4 of the Constitutional law of RA "Electoral Code": "Elections shall be held on the basis of the principles of free and voluntary exercise of the right of suffrage. No one shall have the right to force an elector to vote for or against a candidate (a political party) or have the right to force an elector to participate or not to participate in elections." The phenomenon of absenteeism has arisen from the above-mentioned principle and has become a means of boycotting elections. It is necessary to choose a certain way to overcome absenteeism which would not doubt the implementation of the principle of free and voluntary exercise of the right of suffrage, as well as other principles typical to a democratic state. The results of the article are based on the experience of foreign countries, the degree of voters’ participation during the elections held in a number of countries (presidential, parliamentary), and especially the degree of voters’ participation in the elections in the Republic of Armenia, and how it has changed. The results of the research allow us to conclude that there are three main ways to overcome voter absenteeism: to define the obligation of citizens to vote during elections, to exclude both the minimum electoral threshold and the requirement to consider the election valid, and to develop the legal culture of the electorate, to strengthen the citizens' confidence in the elections and in the realization of the importance of their participation in the process of the state government.