Tweet
Karabakh election campaign democratic, Armenian presidential aide says
Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
8 Jun 05
Excerpt from Vaan Vardanyan's report by Armenian newspaper Hayots
Ashkarh on 8 June headlined "Clashes and enmity are ruled out"
An interview with the Armenian president's advisor on national
security issues, Garnik Isagulyan. He comments on the upcoming
parliamentary elections in the NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh Republic].
[Hayots Ashkarh correspondent] Mr Isagulyan, you have recently
returned from Karabakh, what is your impression of the election
campaign that has started there?
[Garnik Isagulyan] First of all, I should note that the NKR
parliamentary elections are of great importance from the regional
point of view, as well as from the point of view of the NKR's
international image as an independent state. For this reason,
developing a civilized election process is very important.
On the whole, the election race is taking place within a civilized
framework, in line with all democratic norms. NKR state television has
provided equal airtime for election propaganda. There is also paid
airtime and there is no obstacle to using that. I would like to say
that for the first time 11 mandates of the NKR parliament will be
given to deputies elected under the proportional representation
system. For this reason, more parties will take part in this election
campaign than previously.
[Passage omitted: Isagulyan mentions the parties that will take part
in the elections]
[Correspondent] Will [NKR leader] Arkadiy Gukasyan support anybody?
[Isagulyan] At a meeting with the NKR president, he assured me that he
does not intend to meddle in the election campaign. He said that free
and fair elections are much more important since their international
and political price is much higher than local, narrow party or group
interests.
[Correspondent] Anyway, who is coming forward as a pro-government
party and who is in the opposition? How much of administrative
resources do they have?
[Isagulyan] On the whole, the National Democratic Party [NDP] appears
to be the pro-government party. On the contrary, the bloc of the
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun [RFD] and Sharzhum [Movement]
88 represents the radical opposition. The Free Motherland Party may be
considered as a centrist party. As for the administrative resources, I
think the authorities support no-one. On the other hand, the NDP and
the opposition have such resources. While the former has strong
positions in the state administration, the leader of the Sharzhum-88
is the Stepanakert [Xankandi] mayor, several village governors are RFD
members, and it is clear that each will try to use their potential as
much as possible.
[Correspondent] Has a party of oligarchs been established in Karabakh?
[Isagulyan] Opponents try to define the Free Motherland Party in this
way. I do not agree because I had contacts with members of this
party. One or two of them are economists, but there are no
representatives of large businesses among them. Karabakh is different
from Armenia in this sense. First, the potential of the local plants
is very modest. Second, they have not made a habit of driving
foreign-made cars or having bodyguards, acquiring a special status and
emphasizing it, as some rich people do in Armenia.
[Correspondent] What forces will win?
[Isagulyan] Although in fact seven political forces are taking part in
the elections, the bloc of the RFD and Sharzhum-88 and the Free
Motherland Party are the obvious front-runners. To win one of the 11
seats under the proportional representation system, a party is to
overcome a 10-per-cent threshold, compared to 5 per cent in
Armenia. The remaining 22 mandates will be contested under the
first-past-the-post system.
[Passage omitted: minor comments]
Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
8 Jun 05
Excerpt from Vaan Vardanyan's report by Armenian newspaper Hayots
Ashkarh on 8 June headlined "Clashes and enmity are ruled out"
An interview with the Armenian president's advisor on national
security issues, Garnik Isagulyan. He comments on the upcoming
parliamentary elections in the NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh Republic].
[Hayots Ashkarh correspondent] Mr Isagulyan, you have recently
returned from Karabakh, what is your impression of the election
campaign that has started there?
[Garnik Isagulyan] First of all, I should note that the NKR
parliamentary elections are of great importance from the regional
point of view, as well as from the point of view of the NKR's
international image as an independent state. For this reason,
developing a civilized election process is very important.
On the whole, the election race is taking place within a civilized
framework, in line with all democratic norms. NKR state television has
provided equal airtime for election propaganda. There is also paid
airtime and there is no obstacle to using that. I would like to say
that for the first time 11 mandates of the NKR parliament will be
given to deputies elected under the proportional representation
system. For this reason, more parties will take part in this election
campaign than previously.
[Passage omitted: Isagulyan mentions the parties that will take part
in the elections]
[Correspondent] Will [NKR leader] Arkadiy Gukasyan support anybody?
[Isagulyan] At a meeting with the NKR president, he assured me that he
does not intend to meddle in the election campaign. He said that free
and fair elections are much more important since their international
and political price is much higher than local, narrow party or group
interests.
[Correspondent] Anyway, who is coming forward as a pro-government
party and who is in the opposition? How much of administrative
resources do they have?
[Isagulyan] On the whole, the National Democratic Party [NDP] appears
to be the pro-government party. On the contrary, the bloc of the
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun [RFD] and Sharzhum [Movement]
88 represents the radical opposition. The Free Motherland Party may be
considered as a centrist party. As for the administrative resources, I
think the authorities support no-one. On the other hand, the NDP and
the opposition have such resources. While the former has strong
positions in the state administration, the leader of the Sharzhum-88
is the Stepanakert [Xankandi] mayor, several village governors are RFD
members, and it is clear that each will try to use their potential as
much as possible.
[Correspondent] Has a party of oligarchs been established in Karabakh?
[Isagulyan] Opponents try to define the Free Motherland Party in this
way. I do not agree because I had contacts with members of this
party. One or two of them are economists, but there are no
representatives of large businesses among them. Karabakh is different
from Armenia in this sense. First, the potential of the local plants
is very modest. Second, they have not made a habit of driving
foreign-made cars or having bodyguards, acquiring a special status and
emphasizing it, as some rich people do in Armenia.
[Correspondent] What forces will win?
[Isagulyan] Although in fact seven political forces are taking part in
the elections, the bloc of the RFD and Sharzhum-88 and the Free
Motherland Party are the obvious front-runners. To win one of the 11
seats under the proportional representation system, a party is to
overcome a 10-per-cent threshold, compared to 5 per cent in
Armenia. The remaining 22 mandates will be contested under the
first-past-the-post system.
[Passage omitted: minor comments]