STEPANAKERT, Artsakh—Artsakh held presidential and parliamentary elections on March 31, amid measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Artsakh reported that 76,471 out of 105,251 registered voters went to the polls—72.7 percent participation.
The presidential election has moved to a second round, with former Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan (49 percent of the vote) and former Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan (26.4 percent of the vote) facing off.
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) candidate Davit Ishkhanyan received 2.56 percent of the vote. A total of 14 candidates contested the presidential election.
It is unclear whether the second round will be held within the period of 14 days as stipulated by law or if the government will move to postpone the election amid fears of the coronavirus spread.
Outgoing President Bako Sahakyan, who has served as the president of Artsakh since July 2007, announced that he will remain in the republic and support the people and the homeland in all his capacity.
Sahakyan had resisted calls to postpone the elections amid fears of the spread of COVID-19, stating that following much deliberation, the government has arrived at “the logical decision” of holding the elections as the constitution stipulates.
Parliamentary elections
Five political parties secured seats in the 33-seat chamber. The alliance led by Arayik Harutyunyan secured 16 seats, the United Motherland Party received nine, the Justice Party of Artsakh and the ARF secured three seats, and the Artsakh Democratic Party two seats.
Twelve political parties contested the parliamentary elections.
Ishkhanyan thanks supporters
Following the elections, Ishkhanyan stated, “The elections held in Artsakh demonstrated that every single one of us has acted responsibly towards the future of our country, and realizes the importance of their participation on that path [to the future].”
Ishkhanyan also thanked all those who trusted the ARF with their votes.
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