NEWS

YEREVAN, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenia has welcomed today the July 19 presidential election in Nagorno-Karabakh. Below is the statement issued today by Armenia’s ministry of foreign affairs.
“We welcome the presidential elections held in Nagorno-Karabakh on July 19. Nearly 80% of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh participated in these elections. These elections are the most recent in some dozen presidential, parliamentary, and local election polls, as well as a constitutional referendum, held since 1991.
This is just one expression of the commitment the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have made to democracy and rule of law. Legitimately elected authorities have succeeded in securing the safety and stability of that region even in the absence of a permanent settlement.
Various OSCE and other international documents clearly indicate that not only should Nagorno-Karabakh be a party to settlement negotiations, but that their elected authorities should represent them.
To dismiss these or any elections is disingenuous and simply contrary to modern political values. Further, rejection cannot be understood given the fact that in other areas of the world, in places where final political status and settlement are also absent, such elections are indeed supported, promoted, observed and encouraged.
The people of Nagorno-Karabakh remain committed to resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations to reach a peaceful, lasting settlement.
Unlike in other conflicts, in Karabakh, the population has always had to ensure its own security without the help of the international community. In the same way, they have also succeeded in securing their own democratic processes and domestic stability.”

At July 21 session the NKR CEC summed up the final results of the presidential elections in the NKR.

The Central Electoral Commission has fixed that the total number of voters according to voter’s lists is 92 114, the number of distributed ballots to polling stations is 93 196?, the number of canceled ballots is 21 913. The number of registered and received ballots by voters according to signatures is 71 286 (77,39%) and the number of invalid ballots is 1 594.

The number of votes for each candidate is the following: Armen Abgaryan –867(1,24%), Vanya Avanesyan –212 (0,30%), Masis Mayilian –8 734 (12,53%), Hrant Melkumyan –554(0,79%) and Bako Sahakyan –59 326(85,12%). The number of “for” votes is 69 693, the number of valid ballots is 69 693. Inaccuracy measure is 15.

The CEC members signed a decision, according to which Bako Sahakyan is elected president with the overwhelming majority of votes.

CEC Chairman Sergey Nasibyan expressed his gratitude to all the members of territorial and divisional election committees, international and local observers and journalists, parties and public organizations, NKR MFA, NKR Defense Army and other structures for assisting the CEC in the organization and conduct of the elections on a proper level, as well as all the NKR citizens who voted on July 19.

President of Armenia Robert Kocharian congratulated today the newly elected president of Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakian.
Presidential press service told Armenpress that the message of the president particularly says,

“Dear Mr. Sahakian,
I congratulate You on being elected the president of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. I am sure that under Your leadership, in cooperation with other wings of power, and with the efforts of all people of Artsakh the economic and political development of Nagorno Karabakh will continue. I believe that You will undertake steps towards the regulation of the issues of the country and the people with new spirit. The elections witnessed that the Karabakh statehood is based on the consolidation of democratic principles. I wish You effective activity for the sake of Artsakh and its people.”

STEPANAKERT, JULY 20: Bako Sahakian, former head of the security service in Nagorno-Karabakh, is on course to become next president of Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the preliminary results of July 19 election.

Election officials said around 72,000 voters of registered 92,000 had voted before the polls closed at 2000 local time on Thursday. The poll was declared valid, since turnout was higher than the required one quarter of registered voters.

Bako Sahakian was leading with 85.4 percent of the vote. He was backed by almost 62,000 voters.

Masis Mailyan, Sahakian's main opponent, received 8,200 votes of 12.9 percent of the vote.

“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.

STEPANAKERT, JULY 19: Voters in Nagorno-Karabakh are heading to the polls today to elect their next president. All 279 polling stations opened today at 8 am. Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh can also vote in Yerevan where there is one polling station at its representation in Armenia.

According to voter lists, there are 91,166 eligible voters. The polls are being monitored by more than 100 observers from Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine, Serbia, Italy, Belgium, and also from three post-Soviet self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia, Transdniester and South Ossetia.

The five candidates participating in the ballot are Bako Sahakian, who is 49 and made his career in the Soviet-era Committee for State Security (KGB); Masis Maylian, who is in his late 30s and a graduate of the Vienna Diplomatic Academy; parliament deputy Armen Abgarian; Nagorno-Karabakh Communist Party leader Hrant Melkumian; and Vanya Avanesian, a professor at Artsakh State University.
Preliminary results are expected on Friday. Anyone taking over 50 percent of the votes in the first round wins outright.

Bako Saakyan, who is openly supported by the incumbent, is the favorite to win. His main rival is the region's deputy foreign minister Masis Mailyan.

Question: Mr. Minister, how would you comment on the frequent statements by the CoE officials in which they censured the forthcoming presidential elections in the NKR? Recently, President of the CoE Committee of Ministers, Foreign Minister of Serbia Vuk Jeremic has stated that the forthcoming elections in the NKR can not promote the conflict settlement and even impede the negotiation process.

Comment: It arouses regret that the representatives of the Council of Europe, the organization, which is to protect and propagate the ideals and principles of pluralistic democracy, human rights and law supremacy by means of integration processes, censure the holding of elections. Thus they cast doubt on the election institute itself as an important element of democracy, which contradicts the CoE Charter. And if the European officials don’t want to contribute to the democratic processes in the NKR then we have the right to expect that they, at least, won’t impede the strengthening of democratic institutes in our republic. We are deeply convinced that the democratization is an important precondition for the Karabakh conflict settlement, since the democracy presupposes the creation of mechanisms, which allow solving any conflict exclusively in a peaceful way. Namely to this the Nagorno Karabakh Republic is striving for. It would be natural if the representatives of various European structures shared this aspiration.

Question: Mr. Ghoulian, how would you comment on statement by the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis that the international community does not recognize the forthcoming Presidential Elections in the NKR?

Comment: In our opinion, the high position of Mr. Davis should abstain him from showing partiality. However, again we see the contrary and express our regret concerning that. Opinion of Mr. Terry Davis is inherent in conservative circles of Europe, which do not accept the objective positive tendencies in development of the world politics. Statements of such kind bear exclusively destructive character, since they affect public opinion and, in their turn, hinder constructive dialogue between the Armenian and Azeri peoples and establishment of neighborly relations.

By confirming its independence at the national referendum of December 10, 1991, which was held in absolute compliance with the international law and then acting USSR legislation, the NKR people took a course towards establishing a democratic republic with rule of law.
It should be reminded that elections are the form of direct indication of a people’s will and basic manifestation of democracy. The NKR people and the whole civilized world community are interested in developing democratic institutions, and the level of development, fortunately, is not defined from subjective opinion of Terry Davis. This can be testified by experience of elections in the NKR, which could serve an example for some countries, which see change of power in a manner out of generally accepted international criteria. Certain representatives of international organizations and political circles, according to their opinion, are not concerned with the development of positive processes in the region. I would not think that they prefer chaos and illegality.

Such statements cannot in any way prevent the current processes towards democratization. Our people once again proved this by adopting in the December 10, 2006 referendum the Constitution of the NKR, which clearly specified the principles of democratic development, which our society has been guided by before adopting of the main law and will continue to follow.

We can suggest those who feel skeptical and do not recognize the legitimacy of our elections to visit NKR in procedure established by the legislation as observers and form their opinion concerning the results of the elections. In my view, one must participate in at least one elections of such kind before making virtual assessments.

29.06.07

On June 2, President of Nagorno Karabakh Arkady Ghoukassian signed a decree on forming new staff of the NKR Central Electoral Commission.

According to the decree members of the commission were appointed

Sergey Nasibyan – representative of the NKR President;
Seyran Hayrapetyan - representative of the NKR President;
Karen Sagiyan - representative of the NKR President;
Samvel Arakelyan – representative of the party «Free Motherland»;
Zarmik Shakhramanyan - representative of the party «Free Motherland»;
Raya Nazaryan - representative of «Democratic Party of Artsakh»;
Semyon Afiyan - representative of «Democratic Party of Artsakh»;
Sergey Shakhverdyan - representative of the block ARF «Dashnaktsutyun» - «Movement-88»;
Hamest Souleymanyan - representative of the block ARF «Dashnaktsutyun» - «Movement-88».

Question: Mr. Minister, how will you comment the statement of the CE Committee of Ministers, Foreign Minister of San Marino Fiorenzo Stolfi concerning the information that the forthcoming elections in Nagorno Karabakh cannot create favorable conditions for the conflict settlement since they predetermine the region’s status?

Commentary: The statement of the Chairman of the CE Committee of Ministers denotes once more that the European officials of even such high level are poorly aware of the Karabakh conflict’s essence and process. Representatives of different European structures try to compensate this gap by using stereotyped answers, as Foreign Minister of San Marino Fiorenzo Stolfi did. However, similar standard approach to the Karabakh problem as a whole, and the process of civil society building in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in particular, which has recently become established in the international structures is counterproductive and dangerous. The indulgence to the caprices of the Azerbaijani side, which is more often demonstrated by the European officials, can be perceived as an attempt to bring Nagorno Karabakh back to the past. In connection with this, I would like to remind Mr. Fiorenzo Stolfi that any attempts to deprive the people of Nagorno Karabakh of the right to democratic development and civil society strengthening are condemned to failure.

Under the conditions of democracy the elections are crucial institute of demonstrating political role of the people as the source of power. The forthcoming presidential elections in the NKR are not an exception. They cannot impact the Karabakh conflict settlement process and cannot predetermine Nagorno Karabakh’s status, as their main function is to form power through democratic mechanisms. The NKR’s status was determined by the will of people of Nagorno Karabakh at December 10, 1991 referendum in conformity with the norms of the international law and the national legislation which was in force during that period.

It should be noted that we have repeatedly invited the representatives of various European structures to visit Nagorno Karabakh and get acquainted with the situation on-site to overcome the stereotypes and clichés, which have become established among European officials regarding Nagorno Karabakh.

23.04.2007

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