NAGORNO-KARABAKH LEADER DENIES RUMORS ABOUT HIS INTENTION TO SEEK A THIRD TERM

Armenpress
Oct 12 2006

STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 12, ARMENPRESS: Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arkady
Ghukasian denied flatly Armenian media speculations about his intention
to seek a third consecutive term in the office.

"I do not have any intention to seek a third term in office,"
Ghukasian said to a special news briefing yesterday in Stepanakert
which he called to dispel these rumors, which he said were damaging
the democratic image of Nagorno- Karabakh.

Some media reports argued the constitution Nagorno-Karabakh is going to
adopt in December would actually mean a new countdown of presidential
terms and the plot is to pass it before next regular presidential
election to give Ghukasian a legal ground to rerun for presidency.

By Ghukasian said yesterday he would not seek a new term even if the
constitution gave him that chance.

"Moral rules are as important to me as legal norms. As a man and
a president I have done as much as I could to make the process of
democracy here irreversible," he said.

"I would never react to such insinuations except for two reasons:
the image of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic as a democratic state and
the fundamental importance of a constitution for the survival of our
state," he commented.

He stressed his priority was and has always been attaining
international recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the
strengthening of its statehood.