Free Artsakh, free elections

Editorial

Yerkir/Arm
June 17, 2005

These days, issues related to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
parliamentary election scheduled for June 19 are in the public
focus. The political life of the republic is almost entirely
associated with the elections, and despite the pre-election fever, the
environment is peaceful.

Because the Karabakh conflict has not yet been settled, the election
has not only internal significance, but also — and even more– a
foreign policy impact.

For years, the politicians and statesmen of the both Armenian states
as well as the Diaspora have been pointing to two circumstances when
dealing with international community and organizations evolved in the
peace talks. Firstly, Nagorno Karabakh Republic is an established
state, there are well-established public and political institutions
and this society is on a much higher level in respect with development
and democracy than Azerbaijan, which is moving toward totalitarianism.

Secondly, a normal existence of a democratic Artsakh within
totalitarian Azerbaijan is absolutely unimaginable since these two
have noting in common and are incompatible in terms of ethnicity,
government, and culture.

This thesis is about to be seriously tested. In case a free and fair
election is conducted in Artsakh, regardless who wins, the entire
Armenian people will win. But if the election is manipulated hurting
the NKR image, the whole nation will loose no matter who gets how many
seats in the parliament. Free Artsakh needs free and fair elections.