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[MosJan]

<h1 class="big center">ELECTIONS COMPLETED</h1>

• Today the citizens of Nagorno-Karabakh are electing the president of the Republic. The elections started at 08:00 a.m.. The presidential aspirants are Bako Sahakyan and Masis Mayilyan.
  
  Masis Mayilyan’s proxies have already registered some cases of rigging, which were submitted to the Central Electoral Commission. They stated: “A group of people, presenting themselves as the supporters of Bako Sahakyan, crowded at number 4/1 and 4/2 polling stations since 09:00 a.m.
  
  “Boris Gasparyan and Grigor Gasparyan, proxies, appealed to the chairmen of the electoral commissions to keep the people at a certain distance from the polling stations as it was set up by the Electoral Code”.
  
  At number 4/7 polling station the elections were completed at 10:45 a.m.. |The following announcement was disseminated by Mayilyan’s proxies: “This fact is not only the violation of the NKR Electoral Code, since according to the legislation the polling station should be open till 20:00 p.m., it is also the violation of electoral rights of the NKR citizens”.

[MosJan]

ELECTIONS TOOK PLACE

*

Sergey Nasibyan, chairman of the NKR Central Electoral Commission (CEC) announced that the elections took place, since more than 25% of the population participated in them.

By 11:00 a.m. the 24,5% took part in the elections – 22273 people of 91180 have elected.

More people participated in the elections in the region of Shahumyan – 44,5%. 37,41% participated in the region of Martakert.

Fewer people participated in the elections in Stepanakert – 15,6%, then in the region of Martuni – 22,3%.

According to Sergej Nasibyan, 6 appeals were presented at the CEC, which were investigated.

[MosJan]

NO OBSERVERS

*

“Karabakh people are for objective elections and we believe in fair elections. The president of Nagorno-Karabakh can be the person elected by the NKR people only. I have already voted and wait for the results with impatience. I don’t know why I am certain that my favorite candidate will win”, said an NKR citizen who visited number E/1 polling station, which is the Karabakh permanent representative’s office in Armenia, to fulfill his responsibility. Some NKR citizens are not in their birthplace today and are voting in Armenia.

The majority of 90 NKR citizens registered with the permanent representative had voted by noon today. 83 citizens had voted by 12:30. Among them were citizens whose names were missing in the voting lists. “People come and vote actively. That is a great achievement. Mainly students have not participated in the elections since they are in Karabakh”, said Armen Grigoryan, chairman of the commission of polling stations. It is worthwhile mentioning that neither a proxy, nor a local or international observer was present at the representative’s office. We tried to find it out from the chairman of the commission. He noted that no observer had claimed it. “We do not have an observer. That is their problem”.

The members of the commission ensure that no fraud cases or incidents were registered. “The elections are conducted transparently, the voters vote for the candidate they want”, assured the chairman of the commission. 5 candidates are nominated for the post of the NKR president.

[MosJan]

DECISION TIME: NKR PICKS A PRESIDENT JULY 19

A highly intricate situation has formed in Nagorno-Karabakh on the threshold of the presidential election slated in this unrecognized republic for July 19. Despite the fact that the second president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arkady Ghukasyan, on July 3 described the election race as “close to ideal”, there are reasons to doubt it. The demarche of the NKR President’s advisor Arman Melikyan during the Yerevan discussions of the upcoming elections on Tuesday testifies to the presence of certain differences and a general heated emotional background. Melikyan then said that “the discussion of the process of the presidential election in the NKR in Armenia is an interference into the internal affairs of the republic” and having said that, he left the roundtable. There are also other manifestations showing that the pre-election situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is not that “close to ideal”. In particular, despite the fact that on May 7 the four main parties of the NKR – the Democratic Party of Artsakh, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) of Artsakh, Free Homeland and Movement-88 signed a joint statement supporting ex-director of the NKR National Security Service Bako Sahakyan as a presidential candidate, already the following week members of the Movement-88 party’s board stated that the chairman of this political organization, Eduard Aghabekyan, was not authorized to sign such a statement on behalf of the party.

And so, five candidates are running for president in the NKR – Vanya Avanesyan, Armen Abgaryan, Masis Mayilyan, Hrant Melkumyan and Bako Sahakyan. All candidates except the leader of the NKR Communist Party Hrant Melkumyan, are nominated in the order of civil initiative. Meanwhile, the incumbent president has already picked his favorite successor. On July 3, Ghukasyan said he considered Bako Sahakyan as the worthiest candidate for presidency. “Sahakyan is capable of rallying the people around himself for tackling major problems and challenges that the republic is facing. He enjoys popularity.” The statement was made not in Stepanakert, but in Yerevan, on the day of the presidential advisor’s protest.

Many tend to ascribe this inadequate behavior of Arman Melikyan to the fact that a certain part of public organizations operating in the NKR and Armenia are more inclined to back another presidential candidate, Masis Mayilyan. Editor of the Stepanakert-based “Demo” newspaper Gegham Baghdasaryan stated that the pre-election process in Nagorno Karabakh is so intricate that even “the devil will get confused.” On the other hand, it is evident to him that “the people of Karabakh would not have an alternative if Masis Mayilyan’s candidacy had not been nominated. The three other candidates support Bako Sahakyan.”

Mayilyan is the only presidential candidate who speaks about the prospects of Nagorno-Karabakh in his pre-election program. In particular, he emphasizes:

the discussion of the issue of borders is possible only after Azerbaijan de jure recognized the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh; it is necessary to populate all liberated territories controlled by the NKR defense army.

Some political analysts think that Mayilyan’s ‘better-thought’ program is also the result of his activities. In particular, from 1992 to 1993 he was a leading specialist at the Department of Information and Press at the NKR State Defense Committee. From 1993, Mayilyan was a member of the NKR delegation at negotiations over the Karabakh conflict settlement.

Meanwhile, Ghukasyan-backed Bako Sahakyan usually ducks questions concerning territories, saying that similar talks may imperil Karabakh’s security.

Melikyan’s actions notwithstanding, politicians and observers in Armenia continue to discuss the subject of the pre-election campaign in Nagorno-Karabakh. The leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia, ex-advisor to the President of Armenia Aram G. Sargsyan thinks that in discussing this process, the accent should be placed on what political and legal solutions are offered by the presidential candidates in terms of the conflict settlement.

Expert Alexander Manasyan, notes that it is time Armenia recognized the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, and discussing the pre-election process attention should be focused not on personalities but on their programs.

Political analyst Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan says Stepanakert must do its utmost for the presidential election in the republic to be perceived by the international community as elections of a president and not a leader of the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh. According to him, no matter who becomes the president of Nagorno-Karabakh, it is necessary to try to stage elections that would be seen as legitimate by the international community.

Meanwhile, the international community represented by the chairman of the Council of Europe Ministerial Committee, Foreign Minister of Serbia Vuk Zheremik stated recently that the upcoming elections in Nagorno-Karabakh cannot serve the purpose of settling the conflict, and encumber the negotiating process. On July 4, NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrosyan responded with the following statement: “It is regretful that representatives of the Council of Europe – an organization with a mission to safeguard and promote the ideals and principles of pluralist democracy, human rights and rule of law – condemn the holding of elections in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Campaigning in NKR will wrap up on July 17.

[MosJan]

KARABAKH HOPES PRESIDENTIAL VOTE WILL BOOST INDEPENDENCE BID

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article's photo
Voters in Nagorno-Karabakh head to the polls on Thursday for a presidential election they hope will help the ethnic Armenian-controlled enclave's bid for independence. Officials there said the vote was another step toward winning international recognition for the self-declared republic, which broke away from Azerbaijan amid heavy fighting in the early 1990s. But no country in the world recognizes Karabakh's independence and the international community is ignoring the vote. Azerbaijan has already denounced the election as having "no legal effect whatsoever." Voters like Marusa Sogomonian said that will not stop them from casting their ballot. "I'll be one of the first in line on Thursday morning," said Sogomonian, a 66-year-old newspaper seller in the local capital Stepanakert. "If we can prove to the world that we can run our country, that we can be a democracy, then we will have our independence." Backed by their brethren in neighboring Armenia, separatists seized Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that claimed thousands of lives and forced nearly one million people on both sides to flee their homes. The region's status remains unresolved despite more than 15 years of negotiations and sporadic clashes continue along its border with other Azerbaijani regions. Heavily armed and supported by Armenia's widespread diaspora, Karabakh's 150,000 people have remained defiant in the face of oil-rich Azerbaijan's vows to regain control of the region, by force if necessary. In a statement, Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said the election was "aimed at concealing Armenia's policy of annexation and... strengthening the ongoing occupation of Azerbaijani territory. "The separatist regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan represents nothing but an illegal structure established by Armenia on the basis of ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population," the statement said. Five candidates are registered in the race to replace Arkady Ghukasian, who is ineligible to run after two terms as president. Ghukasian is backing the frontrunner, Bako Sahakian, a former head of Karabakh's internal security service who is widely expected to sail to victory. Analysts said Masis Mayilian, a deputy foreign minister who claims to represent a reformist camp within the government that can reduce the dominant role of the security services in government, is running a distant second. Critics, including Mayilian, have accused the government of orchestrating a pro-Sahakian campaign and using state resources to ensure his victory. Sahakian brushed aside those concerns, saying he understood that a free and fair election was essential to Karabakh's future. "Elections are vital to a civilized state within the international community," he said. "We have never had a non-free election and this is one of our greatest achievements." Mayilian, who claims his campaign's internal polls show him in a tight race with Sahakian, said that he hoped Thursday's vote would be conducted fairly. Still, there are few fundamental differences between the platforms of the various contenders, with all promising to continue the fight for independence and spur economic reform. Surrounded by Azerbaijani forces and linked by only one road with Armenia, Karabakh is mired in poverty, with high unemployment and few industries. Candidates are promising to attract more investment to the region and support new industries, including tourism. Heavy clouds and fog hung over the region this week, producing a constant drizzle that has left Stepanakert cold and damp. But voters said they would not be deterred by the weather and officials said they expected a high turnout. "Everyone I know is planning to vote," said Samvel Agabekian, a 53-year-old veteran. "We fought for the right to choose our own leaders, so we take elections seriously." Polls will open at 0300 GMT on Thursday and close at 1500 GMT. Preliminary results are expected on Friday. (Photolur photo)
* By Michael Mainville, AFP

[MosJan]

GHUKASSIAN: NKR HOLDS ELECTIONS FOR THE WHOLE NATION AND NOT FOR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

*

article's photo
“I am leaving the presidential post of Nagorno Karabakh with a sense that I have done my duty,” NKR President Arkadi Ghukassian stated on July 19 after having voted in one of the polling stations in Stepanakert. He also added, undoubtedly he did not have time to do everything. Commenting on a CoE representative’s statement that the structure does not recognize the presidential elections in NKR, the President stated, “If the international community does not recognize electoral processes in our republic, let it offer an alternative. Or may be Ghukassian must proclaim himself a Turkmenbashi and rule fifty years,” he underlined adding that the NKR holds elections for the whole nation and not for the international community Touching upon candidate Masis Mailyan’s statements on violations during campaign, the President said he had personally acquainted himself with them. A. Ghukassian stressed, “there is nothing serious there”. “Those are just tales, created by those who feel defeated. Unfortunately, the black PR reached and Nagorno Karabakh from Armenia. After all, we have rather negativism from Turkey and Azerbaijan,” he underscored. According to A. Ghukassian, the future President of NKR will fully take the responsibility to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and will make every efforts to join NKR to the negotiation process, IA Regnum reports.

[MosJan]

NAGORNO KARABAKH PEOPLE ELECT COUNTRY’S NEXT PRESIDENT

Today the Nagorno Karabakh Republic holds presidential elections. Five candidates are running for the presidential post. Ex-Director of the NKR National Security Service Bako Sahakyan, former Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan, NKR NA member Armen Abgaryan, lecturer at the Artsakh State University professor Vanya Avanesyan and leader of Artsakhi Communist Party, head of the Control Service of the NKR Government’s Administration are running for the post. Over 100 international observers have arrived in Stepanakert to observe the presidential elections. As a PanARMENIAN.Net came to know from the NKR CEC, 53 foreign journalists and 47 observers (40 representing international organizations and 7 representing local ones) have been already registered. Observers have arrived from Armenia, US, Italy, Greece, Germany, Serbia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Macedonia, France and CIS member states.

[MosJan]

BY 14:00 LOCAL TIME 53% OF VOTERS PARTICIPATED IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OF NKR


By 14:00 local time (GMT+4) 53% of voters participated in the presidential elections of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist was told in NKR CEC (Central Electoral Commission). According to the NKR electoral Code, in order for elections to be valid 25% of eligible citizens must vote, consequently, presidential elections in NKR are valid. Five candidates are running for the presidential post. Ex-Director of the NKR National Security Service Bako Sahakyan, former Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan, NKR NA member Armen Abgaryan, lecturer at the Artsakh State University professor Vanya Avanesyan and leader of Artsakhi Communist Party, head of the Control Service of the NKR Government’s Administration are running for the post.

[MosJan]

IS USA OBSERVING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN NKR WITHOUT RECOGNIZING THEM?


Representatives from American “Institute of International and Humanitarian Law and Foreign Policy”, as well as non-governmental organizations have arrived in Stepanakert to carry out observation mission in the NKR presidential elections, the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist was told in NKR CEC (Central Electoral Commission). Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ann Dersi said the United States government does not recognize Nagorno Karabakh as an independent state and the presidential elections that are carried out there. “US official representatives do not participate in observation missions,” the American diplomat added.

[MosJan]

The polling stations have closed in Nagorno Karabakh
19.07.2007 19:32 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail In Russian

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The polling stations closed in NKR at 8 p.m. According to the Electoral Code of NKR, After the closure of polling stations the CEC must provide information on processed bulletins every three hours.

By 5 p.m. 65% of eligible citizens have voted in the presidential elections of NKR.

Five candidates are running for the presidential post. Ex-Director of the NKR National Security Service Bako Sahakyan, former Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan, NKR NA member Armen Abgaryan, lecturer at the Artsakh State University professor Vanya Avanesyan and leader of Artsakhi Communist Party, head of the Control Service of the NKR Government’s Administration are running for the post.

[MosJan]

According preliminary data, Bako Sahakyan leading in NKR presidential election
20.07.2007 00:10 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail In Russian

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According preliminary data provided by the NKR CEC by midnight, ex-Director of the NKR National Security Service Bako Sahakyan is leading in NKR presidential election with 87% of votes. He was backed by 17933 voters. Former Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan garnered 11,22% (2137 votes). Leader of Artsakhi Communist Party, head of the Control Service of the NKR Government’s Administration Hrant Melkumyan received 0,82% (173 votes), NKR NA member Armen Abgaryan – 0,5% (102 votes), lecturer at the Artsakh State University professor Vanya Avanesyan – 0,32% (66 votes). By the moment votes have been counted in 80 out of 279 polling stations.

[MosJan]

it looks like it's Bako Sahakyan

[MosJan]

New Leader: NKR elects Sahakyan, with 85 percent of votes
By Gayane Mkrtchyan
ArmeniaNow reporter (reporting from Stepanakert)
The midnight sky of the Karabakh capital, Stepanakert, was shining with fireworks as the supporters of presidential candidate Bako Sahakyan were celebrating victory.

According to preliminary estimates, government-backed candidate Sahakyan garnered 57,828 votes, or 85.4 percent of the vote; Masis Mayilyan came a distant second with 8,270 votes, or 22.21 percent. Armen Abgaryan polled 1,856 votes, or 1.2 percent; Hrant Melkumyan received 0.8 percent, and Vanik Avanesyan – 0.3 percent. The third presidential elections in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) enjoyed a 77 percent turnout as 71,285 out of 92,152 eligible voters went to the polls on Thursday.

Mayilyan’s headquarters lodged 19 complaints of irregularities, but the Central Election Committee disavowed them.

International observers from different European countries on a short-term observation mission representing both government and non-government organizations visited 20 percent of polling precincts before the election day and on July 19 proper. They state in their final report that the election system in NKR meets high standards.

Shushi, a town some 10 kilometers away from Stepanakert, was more crowded than usual on the Election Day.

There were 14 polling stations around Shushi, with two of them situated within the town’s limits. According to Arkady Mangasaryan, the chairman of the territorial election commission, the number of eligible voters in the area is 4,606, with 1,254 of them in Shushi.

Head of Sahakyan’s campaign headquarters in Shushi Albert Khachatryan says: “Our people know well that they are still on the border between war and peace and still have a road to go forward, and to travel this road in a correct way unity is needed. The emergence of a common candidate even more united our people.”

[AK-47]

The BBC has covered our elections in Artsakh pretty thoroughly. There are like 3 reports on it in the past few days... We're getting coverage so something must be up with all this talk of Kosovo getting independence.

http://news.bbc.co.u...les/3658938.stm
http://news.bbc.co.u...ope/6905670.stm
http://news.bbc.co.u...ope/6908092.stm

Edited by AK-47, 20 July 2007 - 04:58 PM.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

http://www.interfax...._issue=11794664


U.S. Observers Hail Karabakh Elections As Free Transparent



STEPANAKERT. July 20 (Interfax) - Members of the U.S. Public International Law and Politics Group who worked at the July 19 presidential elections in the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno- Karabakh have said that the elections were free and transparent and fully complied with Nagorno-Karabakh legislation and international law.

The electoral process was organized very well, the group's executive director Paul Williams told a news conference in Stepanakert on Friday.

The time will come when Nagorno-Karabakh will gain international recognition of its independence, he said.

Nagorno-Karabakh is in a considerably more favorable situation than other similar territorial entities, Williams said.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

http://www.regnum.ru...ish/859322.html



Regnum News Agency


Bako Saakyan elected as Nagorno Karabakh president


Under provisional information of the Nagorno Karabakh Central Election Commission, 71,285 people participated in the presidential election yesterday, which is 77.36% of the total number of eligible voters. 67,695 voters gave their votes for one or another candidate; 57,828 of them, or 85.42%, voted for Bako Saakyan; Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan is the second with 12.21%, or 8,270 votes. The third one is MP Armen Abgaryan with 1.26%, or 856 votes, Communist Hrant Melkumyan received 0.8%, or 539 votes, and lecturer Vanya Avansyan was the last one with 0.3%, or 22 votes.

As CEC Chair Sergey Nasibyan said, the data is preliminary, as in accordance with the NKR CEC, the results are to be proceeded by 08:00 p.m. next day after the election. So, more precise information will be known tonight.

It is worth mentioning, additional information will hardly change the outcome of the election, as Bako Saakyan has a major lead at the race. Thus, one can say that the people of Nagorno Karabakh have made their choice and former head of the NKR National Security Service Bako Saakyan is elected as NKR third president.

Saakyan’s election platform was based on social issues. Answering questions whether he would replace the government if he becomes president, he said “Yes.”

First NKR president was Robert Kocharyan, who is now President of Armenia. In 1997 he was replaced by Arkady Gukasyan, who was re-elected in 2002. In the beginning of 2007, he announced that two terms envisaged by the constitution were enough for him and he would not run for the third term.

Bako Saakyan was born in Stepanakert on August 30, 1960. In 1977, he finished school in Stepanakert. In 1978-80s was in the Soviet Army. In 1981, he became a machinist at the Stepanakert Mechanical Works. Since 1988, he has been known as an activist of the Artsakh Movement. In 1990s, he became a member of the Nagorno Karabakh Defense Forces. In 1996-97, he was deputy chief of the 10th Mountain Infantry Division of the AO NKR in charge for the home front. In 1997-99, he was aide of the Armenian interior and national security minister. In 1999-2001, he served as NKR Interior Minister. Since 2001, he was head of the NKR National Security Service. He is married and has two children.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

http://www.russiapro...eid=a1184844017

July 19, 2007


To Be Seen as Democrats
By Sergei Markedonov







Following the May parliamentary elections in Armenia and the formation of a republican government in June, political life in the “Armenian world” failed to free itself of turbulence. Today come the presidential elections in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). In terms of their significance, these elections will be a major event with repercussions way beyond the borders of the Caucasus region.

Firstly, Karabakh today, as was the case at the beginning of the 1990s, remains something of a beacon for Armenia and for the Armenian diaspora. While keeping watch as various candidates for the post of head of state in Karabakh carry out meaningful and competitive campaigns, Yerevan’s potential maneuvers in terms of extending the mandate of the current president of the republic are very limited. He will have to fit in with the image of a protector of freedom-loving Karabakh. It’s no secret that there are many in Yerevan who would like to see President Robert Kocharyan’s mandate extended. As an important national symbol for Armenia, Karabakh serves as an example of a civilized transfer of the upper tier of power and all leading political forces in Armenia will be addressing and referring to this.

Secondly, the situation within NKR remains a key problem for Azerbaijan, whose “soft sultanate” has weakened Baku’s position in the eyes of the world community with regard to returning Karabakh to its jurisdiction. Democratic standards in unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh are higher than in recognized Azerbaijan.

Thirdly, Karabakh poses a large number of inconvenient questions for the international community. It’s axiomatic for the USA, the countries of Europe and influential international organizations (UN, OBSE, PACE, the Council of Europe) that democratization forms a key component in regulating ethno-political conflicts. The reality, however, does not always reflect the theory. None of the candidates for the top post in NKR would claim to be against democratic principles. On the contrary, democracy in Karabakh has long since been regarded not as an abstract value but as an effective mechanism for garnering international legitimacy. In this sense, a consensus has been reached among the elite of NKR.

One of the main contenders for the presidential post, Bako Saakyan (ex-chief of the NKR National Security Service), in one of his first campaign appearances, announced that: “Our people has always been faithful to democratic principles and observers have been unanimous in noting not only the high level of organization in the elections but also our commitment to democratic principles. I think that our traditions won’t be infringed upon in these elections.”

Other candidates have taken the same line. The NKR deputy foreign affairs minister Masis Mailyan (considered to be the second most likely candidate for the presidency) gave the following definition of the main political goal of the 2007 presidential campaign: “The holding of civilized elections should become the key goal for the departing executive leadership and the political forces of Nagorny Karabakh. It’s on this that the international image of the country and its subsequent development depends.”
The leading communist in Nagorny Karabakh, Grant Melumyan, also regards embedding democracy as the main task facing the republic, as does parliamentary deputy and professor at the local university Vanya Avanisyan and parliamentary deputy Armeny Abgaryan, once one of the republic’s military leaders.

At the same time, within NKR there isn’t a single candidate who sees the future of the unrecognized state as being with Azerbaijan. Democracy isn’t viewed here as being synonymous with the “surrender” of independence and ideas of self-determination. Consequently, the strengthening of democratic standards in NKR (and this has been established as a priority) does not demonstrate a readiness among the Karabakh elite to make concessions to Azerbaijan.

In addition, even those candidates considered to be most liberal in Karabakh demonstrate “imperial” tendencies in their perceptions of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Masis Mailyan believes that “the republic can’t ensure its security within the originally recognized borders of the NKAO,” which is to say the former Nagorny Karabakh Autonous Oblast within the Azerbaijani SSR of the Soviet era. Thus, Mailyan, who has a well-earned reputation as a democrat and liberal (in the context of Karabakh, at least), has no great desire to put the regions occupied during the Karabakh War of 1991-1994 back under the control of Baku. Democracy is one thing, and security is another matter entirely. This formula could become the slogan not only of the 2007 presidential campaign but of Karabakh politics in general. In addition, democratic procedures – universal suffrage in presidential and parliamentary elections – merely enforce this Karabakh “imperialism”, as it does not only derive from the elite. It also expresses local public opinion, which in turn expresses itself through voting. In July of 2007, this opinion will again be demonstrated.

On June 20, the NKR Central Election Commission officially got the election campaign underway. The real battle for the presidential post began long before candidates registered for the election. The actual start of the election campaign in the NKR came in October 2006 when Arkady Gukasyan voluntarily refused to take part in the coming election campaign. He explained his decision by saying that NKR’s observation of democratic principals opened up the opportunity for international legitimatization of this de facto state. A prolongation of his presidential mandate would merely interfere with and impede the strategic aims of the Karabakh Armenians.

At the same time, Gukasyan’s decision is a result of planting the experience of Kosovo in the Karabakh soil. During the course of the parliamentary elections in NKR in 2005, the Kosovo principle – first democratic standards, then self-determination – was cited as one of the basic demands being required by Karabakh politics and of Karabakh politicians. Thus, even before Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the possibility of using “the Kosovo precedent” in the post-Soviet territories, the Balkan experience had been not only addressed in NKR but even copied. Thus, the Karabakh elite has tried to distance itself from “parallel CIS” summits and the leaders of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transdniestr, as well as diversifying its foreign policies. An exception to this trend was the attendance of Arman Melikyan, advisor to the NKR president on foreign policy issues, at a meeting of the heads of foreign ministries of unrecognized republics in Tiraspol.

The logic of the Karabakh leadership is clear: NKR needs to intensify the resonance of the presidential elections. Nagorny Karabakh is becoming a trendsetter for democratic fashions among unrecognized republics. Thus, presenting its republic as a unique leader of other de facto states, showing its competency in general and in the diplomatic sphere in particular, has been the aim of the Karabakh elite. For this reason, the presidential campaign in the NKR will also in a certain way provide a political lesson to the “parallel CIS.”

Today, the election campaign in Karabakh presents the full range of political views to be found in the post-Soviet landscape. Here we have representatives of the “party of power”, Bako Saakyan (the main Karabakh “chekist”) and Masis Mailyan (one of the strategists of Karabakh diplomacy), plus those who have come into severe conflict with the authorities. In 1999-2001, in the conflict between Samvel Babayan and Arkady Gukasyan, the current presidential candidate Armen Abgaryan supported the commander of the republic’s defense forces rather than the leader of the NKR. Grant Melkumyan represents the communists (he was even put forward at a party forum rather than by an initiative group) and Vanya Avanisyan represents the “creative intelligentsia.”

As is the case everywhere in the CIS, the role of parties in the election process in NKR is not so significant. The personal factor plays a much more important role. Administrative resources are also of consequence. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the chief of the National Security Service, Bako Saakyan, was relieved of his duties on the eve of the campaign. The fact that representatives of power (Saakyan and Mailyan) didn’t create a united front and that each is conducting his own campaign (although their criticism is kept within the limits of political decency) indirectly indicates that no single political vision dominates.
Any leader of the NKR, whatever structure he or she comes from, will strive to remain within the framework of democratic discourse. And this is not down to ideological considerations. Among the Karabakh politicians, both those for and against the authorities, there is a consensus on the future of the republic. And that future is envisaged as bringing international recognition. And, as we know, self-determination without democratic standards is problematic. Ignoring this fact would amount to a rejection of NKR’s national aspirations. Such a rejection would drastically reduce the impact and prospects of any Karabakh leader. This means that opportunities for democratic development and maintenance of a positive dynamic will be preserved.

The author, Sergei Markedonov, is the head of International Relations Issues at the Institute of Political and Military Analysis and a Candidate of Historical Sciences

[Aratta-Kingdom]

105 JOURNALISTS FROM MANY COUNTRIES COVER THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN KARABAKH

arminfo
2007-07-19 16:39:00

105 journalists from Nagornyy Karabakh, Armenia and other countries
of the world cover the presidential election in Karabakh. A total
of 93 international observers are observing the course of the
election. This is an unpredictably high index, the leader of the
press-center of the NKR Central Electoral Commission Mikael Ajiyan
told Arminfo correspondent.

He also added that the press-center functions on a voluntary basis.

"Karabakh telecom" communication company and other companies and
enterprises that provided the center with computers and other
equipment, helped to organize the press-center. Armenian Public TV
provided the press-center with satellite communication. The necessary
papers about the NKR and its legislation were prepared on the eve of
the election and given to mass media representatives and observers,
which got one more opportunity to assure themselves that democratic
processes in the NKR are irreversible. The press-center leader is
sure that today's presidential election will become a regular step
in democracy development and will finally lead to international
recognition of the NKR.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

In couple of weeks western diplomats will forget that they “did not recognize” elections in Karabakh


20.07.2007


/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The people of Nagorno Karabakh voted for themselves but not for international structures, Paul Williams, the head of the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG), which observed the NKR presidential elections, told a news conference in Yerevan.

“Their aim was to elect the President and they succeeded brilliantly. I am convinced that in a couple of weeks western diplomats will forget that they “did not recognize” elections in Karabakh,” Mr Williams said.

He also noted that the conclusions of the PILPG on the NKR elections will be submitted to consideration of the U.S. Congress.

“The U.S. observation mission attended 50 polling stations and met with representatives of executive structures and NGOs as well as with observers from other states,” he said.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

Karabakh people proved adherence to democracy July 19


20.07.2007


/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The presidential elections in Nagorno Karabakh were free, transparent and met the NKR laws and international standards, the U.S. observation mission said July 20. According to Professor Vladimir Matic, the complaints that the CEC received July 19 were minor while the Commission quickly responded to all alerts. The mission noted the high appearance of the voters. “This is also a sign of democracy, for the people have exercised their right to rule their life. The NKR has fixed considerable progress,” Matic said.

He said the mission members held meetings with the NKR leadership and presidential contenders. “These were not protocol meetings but thorough discussion of the election process,” he noted.

“We are often asked why we came here. I will answer. Our organization considers elections to be the most important attribute of democracy development,” he said adding that the people of Karabakh proved adherence to democracy July 19.

Matic said the U.S. observers attended 47 polling stations and their report will be posted on their web site and submitted to the NKR CEC, the IA Regnum.