The major political parties in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) have decided to back the incumbent president in the election scheduled later this month.
Members of the ruling Free Fatherland party unanimously agreed at a recent board meeting to endorse Bako Sahakyan as their favored candidate. “We haven’t considered any other candidacy. The 77-member board voted in favor of proposing Bako Sahakyan’s candidacy as a president,” Atur Sahakyan, the leader of Fatherland faction in Nagorno-Karabakh’s National Assembly, told Tert.am.
The country’s top legislative body will be conducting a voting in three weeks to elect the president of the transitional period. Nagorno-Karabakh adopted the presidential model in the wake of the February 20 constitutional referendum. Under the new legislation, a president elected by the National Assembly will govern the country in the coming three years.
Sahakyan receives support also by the Artsakh Democratic Party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D).
Asked why the political forces’ choice focused on the incumbent, Tovmasyan replied, “He is the best – politically and in all other respects. We have practically no discontent when it comes to his personality. I would like recognized countries too, to have presidents like him.”
Under procedures enshrined in the country’s new Constitution, Sahakyan’s candidacy will be nominated at a National Assembly session which will later conduct a voting to approve the proposal. All the three political forces enjoy a majority of votes at in country’s chief lawmaking body.