Why did ARFP decide to protect Bako Sahakyan, the leader of Karabakh National Security Service, a candidate from the authorities?

Recently, a number of problems have been piled up in Karabakh, and their solution requires mobilization of the power of both the political forces and the large strata of the public. Karabakh must be ready to face those challenges in external and internal fronts. Based on that, the ARFP Regional gathering adopted a decision to review the possibilities of having a common candidate. And the possibilities, according to us, depend on the existing problems and the ways to solve them. In the course of the meetings with political forces (mainly – parliamentary forces) we came to an agreement around the relevance of those problems and their solution, and a corresponding agreement was signed. Then the idea of a common candidate was discussed – who will be the best candidate for implementing the solution of those problems. As a result of the discussions with the parties, Bako Sahakyan was elected as a common candidate – the problems pointed out by the parties were included in the electoral platform of Bako Sahakyan.

Bako Sahakyan says that the current policy should be continued and developed, and there is no need for new reforms. Is Armenian Revolutionary Federation also sure that everything is good in Artsakh, and nothing should be changed.

The adoption of the Constitution of Mountainous Karabakh became the basis of improvements in the democratic mechanisms of governing. The on-going improvements caused the laws adopted by the Constitution should be continued. Naturally, today, ARFP is not satisfied with the pace of implementing the improvements, as well as with the fact that sometimes digressions are made to those programs.

Do you consider the defeat of the common candidate possible?

Anything is possible during the elections. ARFP supports Bako Sahakyan and, naturally, will accept adequately both the defeat and the victory of the candidate.

As soon as ARFP joined the common candidate, the only oppositional candidate remains the Communist Party representative. Isn’t there a fear ARFP will not be perceived as opposition after these elections?

First of all, ARFP has not joined anyone. A common candidate is the result of the political discussions between parliamentary parties. Both the representative of the communist party and the other presidential candidates are opponents. As a result of the presidential elections, a new president shall be elected in Karabakh, and a new government shall be formed. Unlike RA, it’s not the parliamentary majority that forms the government in Karabakh but the president. The question is, whom the opposition is opposed to – the president that has not been elected yet or the government that has not been formed?

As for the fear that ARFP will not be perceived as opposition after the elections, the following should be told – in conditions when the political field has not been completely formed in Karabakh, ARFP does not have the perception that whatever the authorities do is surely bad. At the same time, ARFP is not as conformist as not to mention its viewpoints when mistakes are made, or not to adopt a relevant behavior.

Is ARFP in Karabakh related to the opposition or to the authorities?

Position or opposition is not an end in itself for ARFP. Today ARFP is opposition in Karabakh – they don’t share the current social/economic policy run by the authorities, having expressed that for numerous times at the National Assembly and in general.

Today, during the meeting with journalist, Vahan Hovhannisyan, a member of ARFP bureau, has said that in the current conditions it is impossible to expect a complete application of democratic institutions in Karabakh, although elections in Karabakh have always been fairer than in neighboring countries. What kind of elections will we have in this context?

Vahan Hovhannisyan is right, the complete application of democratic institutions mainly depends on the development degree of the society. In this aspect, all the post-Soviet countries still have miles to go. However, we really think that the elections in Mountainous Karabakh are relatively fairer than in neighboring countries – that’s a fact. And today we have all the pre-conditions to conduct fair and transparent elections.

There are opinions that the current president “reproduces” himself by nominating Bako Sahakyan. Do you think this will contribute to the course of democracy in Karabakh, or will impede it?

I don’t share such opinions, and I even consider them somewhat offensive for any of the candidates.
As a result of the elections, new authorities shall be formed. They must take into account the achievements of the previous authorities, trying to correct the existing mistakes and moving forward. I think such biased opinions (about reproduction, etc) will impede the course of democracy in Karabakh.

NA deputy Armen Abgaryan, one of the 5 candidates registered on Jun14 at the Karabakh Central Electoral Commission, presented an application on resignation on the same day, later submitting an application on denouncing his resignation. Why? Don’t you think that such moves can add triviality to this important state event?

I don’t know anything of the details. It would be more correct to ask that question to the presidential candidate Armen Abgaryan.

What kind of atmosphere do you have today in Mountainous Karabakh? Do you consider the tension before the elections to be normal?

Today we have normal pre-election atmosphere in Karabakh. There is no extraordinary tension at least at this moment.