Vitaly Balasanyan Issues Statement

Hero of Artsakh, General Vitaly Balasanyan has issued a message:

Dear Artsakh citizens, the authorities of Artsakh did not respond to our calls and ignored our warnings about the possible dangers of the spread of the coronavirus, thus not postponing the elections. There may have also been external interests at play in this matter. If it turns out later that there have been issues and attention was not paid to them due to political expediency, all those responsible must bear legal and political accountability for this. The extent to which the background of the possible spread of the pandemic affected the quality of the elections and the behavior of voters is already of little importance. What matters is that political calculations were prioritized in both Yerevan and Stepanakert official offices. This should be noted for the sake of history.

I hope that the electoral process did not harm the health of our citizens. I still call on the authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure the health safety of the people.

Regarding the results of the elections, I, as a presidential candidate, and the 'Justice' party express our gratitude to all those who resisted the temptation of money, ignored the use of administrative resources, and did not fall into the turmoil of risky and dubious processes incited from abroad, voting in favor of ensuring security and justice. I value the power and significance of each vote given to me and the 'Justice' party. The thousands of votes we received are binding.

We participated in the elections under the slogan 'Victory is not for sale'. I and my team assure you, dear Artsakh citizens, that we will stand by your votes as both a parliamentary group and a significant political force in the political arena. In the second round of the presidential elections, we will not support any of the candidates, as the ideological disagreements and qualitative differences with them are obvious. My path and the message of the voter who entrusted us with their vote suggest otherwise.

We call on both sides to subordinate the struggle for power to the security of Artsakh and to refrain from shocks and destabilization. The position is temporary, but the interests of our country are permanent. God bless us all.