ArmInfo. The decision to hold elections was made in Artsakh and by Artsakh authorities. Of course, public health is above all, but nevertheless, they made this decision based on the current situation, possibly due to the specifics of the Artsakh domestic political situation. Tatevik Hayrapetyan, MP from the My Step parliamentary faction, expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
To note, on April 12 Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan in his statement on the introduction of a state of emergency and the holding of the second round of elections , in particular, noted that all domestic political events in Artsakh have been implemented in coordination with the top leadership of Armenia.
There is a widespread opinion in Artsakh that this Sahakyan's statement is nothing more than an attempt to share and even shift the responsibility for moral, political and legal lawlessness of all the last days in Artsakh to the highest political leadership of Armenia, more precisely to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Today, on April 14, the second round of the presidential election is taking place in Artsakh with the participation of one candidate - Arayik Harutyunyan. The second candidate, Masis Mayilyan, called on the Artsakh people to boycott the second round, substantiating it that it is impossible to held the elections, in connection with the threat of the spread of the coronavirus. According to the results of the first round, Harutyunyan won 49.6% of the votes, Masis Mailyan - 26.7% of the votes.
According to MP, at first glance, the decision to hold a second round of elections in the context of the spread of coronavirus in Artsakh is contrary to logic. At the same time, Hayrapetyan noted that the elections are held under severe restrictions, the conditions imposed by the Artsakh authorities in a state of emergency. At the same time, according to her estimates, one way or another, it is impossible to completely neutralize the risks, given the rate of infection, in either the first or second round of elections.
"I can't assess the decision of the Artsakh authorities to hold elections in such conditions. At the same time, in his latest statement, President Sahakyan, taking into account the impending uncertainty, described all these risks as a necessity. With the aim of forming a legitimate government as soon as possible, capable of overcoming the current Artsakh people challenges. In the end, it is not clear how long it would take to postpone the second round, and whether this will lead to new problems, " she emphasized.
In general, in Hayrapetyan's opinion, the situation in Artsakh should not be assessed unequivocally, which is evidenced by the call of one of the candidates to boycott the elections. The parliamentarian acknowledges the presence in this situation of actions that constitute a problem for the conduct of elections.
At the same time, taking into account the political background, the experience of incumbent President Sahakyan, Hayrapetyan does not believe that such haste may be due to his desire to quickly take off his responsibility for the situation in Artsakh. In this light, the parliamentarian assesses the decision of Sahakyan to hold elections in the context of the coronavirus pandemic as quite complicated and, according to the estimates of the Artsakh authorities, is in tune with the current situation in Artsakh.