Artsakh Parliament to Elect New President Today

The Artsakh Parliament is set to elect a new president of Nagorno-Karabakh today. The presidential election will take place at 11 AM during a special session of the National Assembly. Following Araik Harutyunyan's resignation, the new president is to be elected by the National Assembly through constitutional amendments.

The candidate from the ruling party “Free Fatherland-ARD” is Samvel Shahramanyan, who was appointed as the Minister of State by the last decree of the former president. Among the five factions, only the “United Homeland” has nominated another candidate, Samvel Babayan, the former Minister of Defense and party leader. However, his candidacy was rejected due to the lack of documentation regarding citizenship and permanent residence in Artsakh for the past ten years.

Acting President Davit Ishkhanian, along with the Police and the National Security Service, called on citizens yesterday to refrain from any provocations today. According to the National Security Service, various political forces are calling for gatherings and protests, attempting to destabilize the situation.