Five political parties will be represented in the parliament of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) after elections held there on Sunday (3 May 2015).
The chairperson of the NKR Central Electoral Commission Srbuhi Arzumanyan told a press conference on Monday that a total of 68,915 voters had cast their vote. Out of the seven political parties that contested the elections five won seats in the new Parliament. They are Free Motherland, National Revival, Democratic Party of Artsakh, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party, and Movement 88.
In response to a question from the mass media, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said that through free and competitive parliamentary elections the people of Nagorno-Karabakh once again proved their determination to dispose of their destiny democratically. The Minister welcomed the presence of more than one hundred international observers during the elections and said that they estimated that the elections were held in an organized and transparent manner, meeting international standards.
Azerbaijan has condemned the elections. The Azerbaijani population of Nagorno-Karabakh was displaced by the conflict in the early 1990s and did not take part in this poll. International Organisations and leading countries have said that the elections will have no impact on the peace process.
source: commonspace.eu with agencies
