Electoral processes are drawing near in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
The second Armenian republic will be electing a president and a National Assembly from 19 to 29 July.
“Although the new Constitution requires that the president be elected by the people, the National Assembly will for now be responsible for the procedure as we are in a transitional period until 2020,” David Babayan, a spokesperson for the country’s president, told Tert.am.
“Under the new Constitution, 2020 will be a year of nationwide elections, which will see voters ballot simultaneously for both the president and the National Assembly,” he added.
The new cabinet thus formed will not be led by a prime minister; instead, there will be a state minister and ministers directly subordinated to the president, Babayan explained.
Speaking to Tert.am, Artur Tovmasyan, a deputy leader of the Free Fatherland party and the head of the Fatherland faction in the country’s National Assembly, said their team, as a majority political force, has numerously held debates with members of the Artsakh Democratic Party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D).
“The Fatherland faction is the biggest [political force] in parliament in terms its representation. Hence, electing the president will be impossible without us. No parliamentary force ever decides against considering the positions voiced by the Free Fatherland party, especially the Fatherland faction. Everybody understands that one party alone cannot virtually elect a president; we are the ones securing the necessary number of parliament members,” he said.
Tovmasyan added that the party will be holding a congress early in July to elect a governing body but also authorize parliament members to back specific presidential contenders. Bit he refrained from naming their favorite.
“We will also elect our party’s chairperson at the Congress. Our decision is to back [incumbent Prime Minister] Arayik Harutyunyan. But he will not run for election. Arayik Harutyunyan has his favored candidate who is acceptable also for the lawmakers representing the party,” he said.