ArmInfo. NKR presidential candidate Vitaly Balasanyan openly addressed Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan, urging him to declare a state of emergency in the country.
The letter, in particular, states: <Given the danger of the spread of coronavirus infection in the country, I urge President of Artsakh to declare a state of emergency in the country. I also want to introduce you the legal justifications for declaring a state of emergency, developed by a group of lawyers of my campaign headquarters, "Balasanyan emphasized, expressing hope that Sahakyan would declare a state of emergency in Artsakh.
In the legal justifications presented by Balasanyan, in particular, it is noted that coronavirus infection spread throughout the world has also reached Armenia. As a result of the spread of this virus in Armenia, a state of emergency was declared on March 16, 2020, and as of March 25, 2020 the number of infected citizens amounted to 290 cases.
''Thus, I believe that the current situation is the basis for declaring an emergency in the NKR. And according to the NKR Constitution, elections or referendum should not be held during the state of emergency. Moreover, in the event of a disaster, or other emergency, the president declares an emergency. The justification for declaring an emergency is an immediate threat to the constitutional order. The same justification is also envisaged by the Constitution of Armenia'', Balasanyan emphasizes.
The letter also notes that the Armenian authorities considered that the danger of the spread of coronavirus is a threat to the constitutional order. Balasanyan also emphasized that the Constitution of Artsakh has a clear distinction between the provisions of "state of emergency" and "situation of emergency". And the current situation requires the announcement of a state of emergency.
''Taking into account international experience, it becomes obvious that in the context of the rapid spread of coronavirus infection, it is necessary to implement a number of measures that involve, inter alia, restrictions on human rights and a number of urgent actions. All of this will be much simpler and more efficient to implement in a state of emergency, rather than in a situation of a emergency'', Balasanyan concluded. It should be noted that in Armenia 290 cases of infection with coronavirus were recorded, while in Artsakh there are no infected.