Armenpress

RULING PARTY WINS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN KARABAKH

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS: Officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said the
voter turnout in June 19 parliamentary elections was 78 percent which means
that 66,744 eligible voters went to the polls to elect their next
legislature.
The ruling Democratic Artsakh party, led by Ashot Ghulian, claimed the
victory under proportional electoral system (by party lists) receiving
22,393 ballots, the Azat Hayrenik (Free Homeland) came second with 15,381
ballots and a bloc of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Movement-88
was third with 14,534 votes. Under the local legislation the bloc may claim
for 5 seats. Under majoritarian electoral system 7 candidates representing
the Democratic Artsakh party won the polls, 7 others are from Azat Hayrenik.
The final results of the polls are expected to be announced in 5-5 days.
The polls were watched by observers from several countries, including
Armenia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, France, the Czech Republic and the
United States, who were said not to register serious violations in the
ballot.
This is the fourth parliamentary election in Nagorno-Karabakh after it
proclaimed independence in 1991. The ballot was held at 274 polling stations
throughout Nagorno-Karabakh and at a polling station in Yerevan, which was
opened for Karabakh citizens staying in Armenia.
Twenty-two of the 33 parliament members are elected in majoritarian
single-mandate districts, and eleven are elected on proportionate party
lists. “The elections are of paramount international importance for
Nagorno-Karabakh,” Karabakh leader Arkady Ghukasian said on Saturday. “We
must show the world our attitude to the elections, which mirrors the
irreversibility of democratic transformations and can promote the
international recognition of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said