KARABAKH HOPES PRESIDENTIAL VOTE WILL BOOST INDEPENDENCE BID
By Michael Mainville, AFP
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
July 18 2007
Voters in Nagorno-Karabakh head to the polls on Thursday
for a presidential election they hope will help the ethnic
Armenian-controlled enclave’s bid for independence.
Officials there said the vote was another step toward winning
international recognition for the self-declared republic, which broke
away from Azerbaijan amid heavy fighting in the early 1990s.
But no country in the world recognizes Karabakh’s independence and the
international community is ignoring the vote. Azerbaijan has already
denounced the election as having "no legal effect whatsoever." Voters
like Marusa Sogomonian said that will not stop them from casting
their ballot.
"I’ll be one of the first in line on Thursday morning," said
Sogomonian, a 66-year-old newspaper seller in the local capital
Stepanakert. "If we can prove to the world that we can run our country,
that we can be a democracy, then we will have our independence."
Backed by their brethren in neighboring Armenia, separatists seized
Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that
claimed thousands of lives and forced nearly one million people
on both sides to flee their homes. The region’s status remains
unresolved despite more than 15 years of negotiations and sporadic
clashes continue along its border with other Azerbaijani regions.
Heavily armed and supported by Armenia’s widespread diaspora,
Karabakh’s 150,000 people have remained defiant in the face of
oil-rich Azerbaijan’s vows to regain control of the region, by force
if necessary.
In a statement, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said the election was
"aimed at concealing Armenia’s policy of annexation and…
strengthening the ongoing occupation of Azerbaijani territory. "The
separatist regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan represents
nothing but an illegal structure established by Armenia on the basis
of ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population," the statement said.
Five candidates are registered in the race to replace Arkady Ghukasian,
who is ineligible to run after two terms as president.
Ghukasian is backing the frontrunner, Bako Sahakian, a former head
of Karabakh’s internal security service who is widely expected to
sail to victory.
Analysts said Masis Mayilian, a deputy foreign minister who claims
to represent a reformist camp within the government that can reduce
the dominant role of the security services in government, is running
a distant second. Critics, including Mayilian, have accused the
government of orchestrating a pro-Sahakian campaign and using state
resources to ensure his victory.
Sahakian brushed aside those concerns, saying he understood that a
free and fair election was essential to Karabakh’s future. "Elections
are vital to a civilized state within the international community,"
he said. "We have never had a non-free election and this is one of
our greatest achievements."
Mayilian, who claims his campaign’s internal polls show him in a
tight race with Sahakian, said that he hoped Thursday’s vote would
be conducted fairly.
Still, there are few fundamental differences between the platforms
of the various contenders, with all promising to continue the fight
for independence and spur economic reform. Surrounded by Azerbaijani
forces and linked by only one road with Armenia, Karabakh is mired
in poverty, with high unemployment and few industries. Candidates
are promising to attract more investment to the region and support
new industries, including tourism.
Heavy clouds and fog hung over the region this week, producing a
constant drizzle that has left Stepanakert cold and damp. But voters
said they would not be deterred by the weather and officials said
they expected a high turnout.
"Everyone I know is planning to vote," said Samvel Agabekian,
a 53-year-old veteran. "We fought for the right to choose our own
leaders, so we take elections seriously."
Polls will open at 0300 GMT on Thursday and close at 1500 GMT.
Preliminary results are expected on Friday.