CHANGES WILL HELP HOLD IMPROVED ELECTION
Norair Hovsepian

Azat Artsakh Daily, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
15-06-2007

The preparations for the presidential election end in about a week,
and the election campaign starts. This is neither the first nor the
second election.

Our citizens are gradually acknowledging this process, its importance
and finally their role. At the same time, the skills of people who
prepare and hold the elections are rising, the technical matters are
improving. It allows stating that in about a month we will witness a
better-organized election and a society with adequate consciousness
of its civil duties.

Anyway, the results will be seen only after the election. As to the
preparations, we talked to the chair of the NKR Central Electoral
Commission Sergey Nasibian. According to him, the peculiarity of this
election is the amendments to the NKR Electoral Code almost on the
eve of the election. Mr. Nasibian said it was immense work but it
was done successfully. Sergey Nasibian pointed to the replacement
of district commissions by divisional commissions, transfer of the
responsibility for the voters’ registers from the local governments to
the police and a few other novelties which Sergey Nasibian says will
help increase flexibility and effectiveness of preparations. According
to the chair of the CEC, 276 polling stations were set up in NKR and
one in the permanent representation of NKR to Armenia.

Sergey Nasibian said perhaps one more polling station will be set up
for the penitentiaries and another in the region of Shahumian. The
CEC also makes efforts for raising awareness of the amendments among
the voters. The NKR Electoral Code was published in 750 copies,
which will be distributed to all the government agencies and local
governments. The Electoral Code is also available on the site of the
CEC. The accreditation of observers and media is underway. So far
mainly local observers have been registered, but the experience of
the past years shows that accreditation takes place mostly within
the few days preceding the voting. Sergey Nasibian said the number
of foreign advisers grows from election to election, which is positive.

Currently the Electoral Code is being translated into Russian and
English and will finish until July 5. We also asked the opinion of
the chair of the CEC on the pre-election behavior of political forces
and experts. The campaign starts June 20. Does everyone honor the
schedule? And finally is there a distinct line between electioneering
and non-electioneering? "It may be the shortcoming of the Electoral
Code that this line is not distinct.

If campaign is meetings with voters, it contradicts to another
law. The law on parties holds the parties can present their opinions,
approaches at any time. So, the parties which expressed their stance
on the common candidate in fact used their constitutional right. By
the way, the Electoral Code enables them to. This is not campaign
because the process stopped in that stage. It is beyond doubt,
however, that distinction between electioneering and party activities
is necessary. The Republic of Armenia also faced this problem. This
gap in the Electoral Code may be filled later. It refers to both
political parties and individuals. Of course, it is necessary to
work and create election headquarters, recruitment of observers and
proxies in preparing for the campaign. But it does not mean using
preparations for electioneering," Mr. Nasibian said. He added that
similar efforts were noticed but were prevented, and the relevant
agencies were instructed to watch and prevent electioneering until
the official date it starts. Sergey Nasibian believes it also needs a
legislative remedy. Meanwhile, elements of campaign are often observed
in the media. However, an analysis and comment are flexible notions,
as well as the campaign or anti-campaign in them, which does not
enable to give a distinct evaluation.