Elections in Artsakh: two weeks before the vote

ArmInfo. Despite the fact that less than two weeks are left before the election day for the  presidential and parliament of Artsakh, in the NKR capital, Stepanakert, only the election banners of the candidates remind of this.

Such calm reigning in the cities of the republic during the  pre-election period may seem strange, but this is a feature of all  pre-election processes that take place in Artsakh. This is a plus,  and in this context, the role of presidential candidates is great,  who in their speeches note that they do not want to polarize society,  and oppose the establishment of an atmosphere of mistrust in the  country. At one of the meetings with presidential candidate Araik  Harutyunyan, attended by ArmInfo correspondent, Harutyunyan was  directly asked if he was ready to congratulate one of his competitors  on the victory if such were the results of the vote, to which the  latter gave a positive answer.

According to our estimates, which are shared by other observers,  today in Artsakh there are 3 favorites for the presidency of the  country: Vitaly Balasanyan, MasisMailyan and Araik Harutyunyan. It is  at their headquarters that the most active and visible work is going  on. The headquarters organize meetings of voters with candidates in  the most remote parts of Artsakh, and at these meetings the older  generation of Artsakh is most active. It is they who ask candidates  various questions, starting with specific problems of the village and  ending with the question of determining the international status of  the NKR.

The leaders of small communities are more interested in  socio-economic problems, which are more than enough in Artsakh. In an  interview with ArmInfo correspondent, the head of the village  Sarnakhbyur Gagik Aleksanyan stated: "The population of the village  is getting smaller every year. We are very concerned about the issue  related to the rural school, where only 5 students study. This year,  four of them will finish elementary school and will move to another  village to continue their studies there. What will become of our  school? We would not want to close it, especially since people will  be left without work."

Aleksanyan believes that a program for the settlement of the village  is needed, and he raises this question to all presidential candidates  who visit Sarnakhbyur. "We would like for new people to settle in the  village, families to form, and our population would grow, because the  gene pool of any people is formed in the countryside," said the head  of the community.

It should be noted that the election situation in Artsakh was also  influenced by the global situation with the coronavirus pandemic. The  NKR CEC issued a statement calling on the presidential candidates, to  the extent possible, to refrain from mass events. In turn, NKR  President Bako Sahakyan held a working meeting with the heads of the  district administrations of the republic and Mayor Stepanakert.  During the meeting, Sahakyan stressed the need for all preventive  measures in the regions and the capital in the framework of the fight  against coronavirus.

It should be noted that on March 31 presidential and parliamentary  elections will be held in Artsakh.