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WILL BAKO SAHAKYAN RUN?
Naira Hayrumyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/country25749.html
Published: 11:52:40 - 09/04/2012
In 10 days, the nominations for the president of Karabakh will start
but no one has so far issued willingness to run. It is hard to hold
elections without candidates, so perhaps they will be the first
non-alternative elections in Karabakh.
The first president of Karabakh was Robert Kocharyan, appointed in
1994 by the decision of the parliament and elected in 1996 through
national voting. Earlier, NKR was a parliamentary republic. After a
few months of his election, Kocharyan resigned and moved to Yerevan
to take up the post of prime minister.
It caused dissatisfaction in the Karabakh society. Though a lot
of people said "our" man in Yerevan will not allow them to "sell"
Karabakh, in terms of an internal point of view, this move was
perceived as elimination of independence. Nevertheless, then and now,
in Karabakh there are supporters of unification with Armenia.
Nevertheless, Kocharyan's refusal of the national vote jarred the
Karabakh people.
Then Arkadi Ghukasyan became the president who served two terms. He
was preparing to run for the third term. In 2006 the Constitution was
amended, preventing him from running for the third term but under
public pressure Ghukasyan decided not to run the risk and not to
question the Karabakh democracy.
However, the elections confirmed these doubts. In 2007, the ex-chief of
the Security Service Bako Sahakyan became NKR president who represented
the Armenian National Security Service in Moscow. Masis Mayilyan was
the foreign minister under Bako Sahakyan's tenure.
Colossal administrative resources were used for the election, as well
as NKVD measures were applied to detect the "enemies of the nation"
and launch "witch hunt".
Afterwards, "unity" reigned in the country, more like a stagnant
swamp where any thought droops. There was an opinion that presidents
are appointed in Karabakh not straight from Moscow. So the people of
Karabakh have lost interest in the elections.
Now the glorious traditions of the NKVD are back. 10 days are left
till nomination and no one knows who will run. In fact, nobody is
interested. Part of the population is confident that Bako Sahakyan
will again run and win. Some people point to the current chief of staff
Marat Musayelyan who also worked in Moscow and has a "higher rank".
Most probably, this time the traditional "alternative" candidates
such as the Communist Party leader Grant Melkumyan and the leader of
a nearly virtual Armenakan Party Boris Arushanian will not run. Let
alone the real alternative candidate Masis Mayilyan or the ex-mayor of
Stepanakert Eduard Agabekyan who apparently sees no point in running.
ARFD is unlikely to nominate an alternative either, which is part of
Karabakh "unity".
Naira Hayrumyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/country25749.html
Published: 11:52:40 - 09/04/2012
In 10 days, the nominations for the president of Karabakh will start
but no one has so far issued willingness to run. It is hard to hold
elections without candidates, so perhaps they will be the first
non-alternative elections in Karabakh.
The first president of Karabakh was Robert Kocharyan, appointed in
1994 by the decision of the parliament and elected in 1996 through
national voting. Earlier, NKR was a parliamentary republic. After a
few months of his election, Kocharyan resigned and moved to Yerevan
to take up the post of prime minister.
It caused dissatisfaction in the Karabakh society. Though a lot
of people said "our" man in Yerevan will not allow them to "sell"
Karabakh, in terms of an internal point of view, this move was
perceived as elimination of independence. Nevertheless, then and now,
in Karabakh there are supporters of unification with Armenia.
Nevertheless, Kocharyan's refusal of the national vote jarred the
Karabakh people.
Then Arkadi Ghukasyan became the president who served two terms. He
was preparing to run for the third term. In 2006 the Constitution was
amended, preventing him from running for the third term but under
public pressure Ghukasyan decided not to run the risk and not to
question the Karabakh democracy.
However, the elections confirmed these doubts. In 2007, the ex-chief of
the Security Service Bako Sahakyan became NKR president who represented
the Armenian National Security Service in Moscow. Masis Mayilyan was
the foreign minister under Bako Sahakyan's tenure.
Colossal administrative resources were used for the election, as well
as NKVD measures were applied to detect the "enemies of the nation"
and launch "witch hunt".
Afterwards, "unity" reigned in the country, more like a stagnant
swamp where any thought droops. There was an opinion that presidents
are appointed in Karabakh not straight from Moscow. So the people of
Karabakh have lost interest in the elections.
Now the glorious traditions of the NKVD are back. 10 days are left
till nomination and no one knows who will run. In fact, nobody is
interested. Part of the population is confident that Bako Sahakyan
will again run and win. Some people point to the current chief of staff
Marat Musayelyan who also worked in Moscow and has a "higher rank".
Most probably, this time the traditional "alternative" candidates
such as the Communist Party leader Grant Melkumyan and the leader of
a nearly virtual Armenakan Party Boris Arushanian will not run. Let
alone the real alternative candidate Masis Mayilyan or the ex-mayor of
Stepanakert Eduard Agabekyan who apparently sees no point in running.
ARFD is unlikely to nominate an alternative either, which is part of
Karabakh "unity".