KARABAKH HAILS ELECTION CONDEMNED BY AZERBAIJAN
By Hasmik Lazarian
Reuters AlertNet, UK
July 19 2007
STEPANAKERT, July 19 (Reuters) – Voters thronged on Thursday to elect a
new leader of Nagorno-Karabakh, hoping to stress the breakaway region’s
independence from Azerbaijan but international organisations shunned
the vote.
Karabakh election commission head Sergey Nasibyan told Reuters that
about 76 percent of the ethnic Armenian enclave’s voters had cast
ballots. Polls closed at 2000 local (1500 GMT), with first results
due later.
Outgoing Karabakh leader Arkady Gukasyan told journalists in Karabakh:
"Nagorno-Karabakh has more arguments to acquire independence than
Kosovo. If Kosovo receives independence, then it’s unclear why Karabakh
cannot follow suit."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said he considers
Kosovo a special situation which does not set a precedent for
Nagorno-Karabakh. Karabakh declared independence in the 1990s but no
other country has recognised this.
Muslim Azerbaijan, which lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh after a
war in the early 1990s, has denounced the election as illegal under
international law.
Novruz Mamedov, the head of the foreign relations department of
Azerbaijan’s presidency, said: "The whole world does not recognise
this election, and the position of international bodies is Baku’s
official position. The United Nations, the European Union and the
Council of Europe unambiguously consider this vote to be senseless
and declare they do not recognise it."
At least 25 percent of the enclave’s 91,000 voters had to take part
for the election to be considered valid by Karabakh authorities.
Anyone taking over 50 percent of the votes in the first round wins
outright.
NO INTERNATIONAL MONITORS
No international organisations were monitoring the vote, in which
five hopefuls were running to replace Gukasyan, who will step down
after holding the post for two five-year terms.
"We are aware of the so-called presidential election being held on
July 19," NATO spokesman James Appathurai told a press briefing.
"Like other international organisations and institutions, NATO does
not recognise the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh elections".
Bako Saakyan, a 46-year-old former head of Karabakh’s security service
who is openly supported by the incumbent, is the favourite.
His main rival is the region’s deputy foreign minister, Masis Mailyan,
aged 39.
Voters said they were impressed by Saakyan’s campaign promises. "I
like Saakyan’s programme because he promised to raise pensions and
give financial assistance to people," said 66-year-old Shura Sachinyan,
an ethnic Armenian refugee.
Many of the Azeri minority fled during the fighting which killed
more than 35,000 people before a ceasefire was brokered in 1994,
and the region is now populated almost entirely by ethnic Armenians,
who enjoy Christian Armenia’s backing.
Armenia’s current president Robert Kocharyan is a former leader of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Both leading contenders are adamant on the main issue — full
independence for Karabakh.
Saakyan says he wants to make the sliver of land and its 140,000 people
"an example of democratic rule".
Mailyan said he hoped that eventual international recognition of
Kosovo, populated mainly by ethnic Albanians, will create an important
precedent leading to officially accepted independence for Karabakh.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
