KARABAKH APPROVES ITS FIRST EVER CONSTITUTION

Armenpress
Dec 11 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS: The overwhelming majority of voters
in Nagorno-Karabakh who went to the polls on Sunday to cast ballots
in the first-ever constitutional referendum, approved their first
constitution.

According to the preliminary returns of the Sunday plebiscite, released
on Monday, 98.6 percent of voters approved the constitution, which
describes Karabakh as a sovereign state. The turnout was 87.2 percent.

"According to preliminary results, the constitution is adopted and
December 10 from now can be declared as a Constitution Day," election
commission chief Sergey Nasibian told journalists in Nagorno-Karabakh
capital Stepanakert.

The vote was held on the 15th anniversary of a referendum in which
Nagorno-Karabakh split from Azerbaijan in 1990. Nagorno-Karabakh’s
leader Arkady Ghukasian hailed the vote as a landmark move that would
"determine the Nagorno-Karabakh’s people destiny."

At least one third of the region’s eligible voters were needed to
make the vote valid, and a simple majority of those who cast ballots
was necessary for the constitution’s approval.

Azerbaijan and the international community do not recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence.

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister Elmar Mamedyarov was quoted by Trend
news agency as saying his country will never recognize the validity
of the plebiscite.

The Council of Europe said also it will not recognize the outcome of
the December 10 constitutional referendum. A statement issued by its
secretary general, Terry Davis, said. ‘This Sunday’s vote organized by
the ‘de facto’ authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot have any legal
validity. It will not be recognized by the international community
and is therefore of no consequence."