Nagorno-Karabakh constitutional referendum, 2017

A constitutional referendum was held in the unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on 20 February 2017. At least 25% of registered voters needed to vote in favour in order to validate the result. The referendum passed with about three quarters of voters voting.Azerbaijan, which Nagorno-Karabakh is officially part of but which lost de facto control of the region following the Nagorno-Karabakh War, condemned the referendum calling it a "provocation" and counter-productive for the conflict resolution process.

President Bako Sahakyan created a commission to draft a new constitution to replace the 2006 constitution. The draft was delivered on 24 November 2016 and approved by the National Assembly on 17 January by a vote of 20–7. On 19 January, Sahakyan set the referendum date.

The constitutional changes would results in the country being renamed the "Republic of Artsakh", as well as abolishing the office of the Prime Minister and giving more power to the President to make quicker decisions on security.

The referendum was denounced as illegal by several countries and international organisations, among them the OSCE Minsk Group (official mediator of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict),Germany,Pakistan,Georgia,Ukraine, and Turkey. No members of international organisations were among the observers. Azerbaijan issued an international arrest warrant for three European Parliament members who acted as observers at the referendum.

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