776 Citizens of Artsakh Will Cast Their Votes in Armenia While Mass Gatherings are Prohibited

Citizens of Artsakh residing in Armenia will participate in the upcoming elections in Armenia. In an interview with Pastinfo, Nara Nikoghosyan, the chief specialist of the Artsakh representation in Armenia, stated that those citizens must present themselves at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Artsakh by March 26, to apply for inclusion in the electoral lists for the elections scheduled on March 31, 2020.

She emphasized that citizens who do not submit applications within the given timeframe and are unaware of this decision will not be able to be included in the electoral lists.

“There is another option for participating in the elections in Artsakh from Yerevan. Citizens can vote in Yerevan if they have previously obtained a notification from Artsakh to be included in the additional list,” the chief specialist reported.

She also noted that the elections will take place at the Permanent Representation of Artsakh, and currently, 776 citizens of Artsakh have submitted applications for inclusion in the electoral list.

It is worth recalling that parliamentary and presidential elections are planned in Artsakh on March 31, 2020. However, a state of emergency has been declared in Armenia as of March 16, 2020, prohibiting gatherings, and by the decision of the Chief of the Fire and Rescue Service, public events were also prohibited. Public events are considered to be those involving the participation of 20 or more individuals.

On March 24, the Prime Minister of Armenia announced new restrictions for the state of emergency, while Chief of the Fire and Rescue Service Tigran Avinyan has imposed movement restrictions on citizens, stating that they must only leave their homes in case of vital necessity and carry identification documents. Furthermore, groups of more than two people must not gather even in courtyards.

According to Armenian legislation, administrative liability is foreseen for violating isolation and self-isolation rules, raising concerns about how the residents of Artsakh can participate in the elections in Armenia, and whether this poses risks for the spread of infection.