Karabakh hails election condemned by Azerbaijan

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

STEPANAKERT, July 19 (Reuters) - Voters thronged today 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 said that by 1400 local (0900 GMT), 53 percent of the isolated ethnic Armenian enclave's voters had cast ballots. Polls were to close at 2000 local (2000 IST) with first results due in the night.

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.'' UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has already 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, told Reuters: ''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 electors 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 generous campaign promises. ''I like Saakyan's programme because he promised to raise pensions and give financial assistance to people,'' 66-year-old Shura Sachinyan, an ethnic Armenian refugee, told Reuters.

Many of the Azeri minority fled during the fighting which claimed more than 35,000 lives 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 hopes that eventual international recognition of Kosovo, populated mainly by ethnic Albanians, will create an important precedent leading to officially accepted independence for Karabakh.

REUTERS ARB VC1816

For Daily Alerts
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
X