20 February 2017, 19:59
Stepanakert: oppositionists complain about attempts to hamper their campaigning
Activists of the oppositional "National Revival" Party claim that the leaflets of the opponents of the new Constitution draft of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) were torn away en masse; and during the election campaign, the authorities made use of their administrative resources.
The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that as of 4:00 p.m. Moscow time, 65,439 persons (63.68% of all the voters) had cast their ballots at the referendum. Today, NKR residents have decided whether they agree to provide President Bako Sahakyan with an opportunity to lead the republic until 2030, and the right to dissolve the Parliament.
Members of the "National Revival" Party, who are against the Constitution draft, assert people are voting in support of the draft under pressure.
The current Constitution was adopted a decade ago; and an attempt to change it is a disregard for the opinion of NKR residents and their previous choice, said Ike Khanumyan, the Chairman of the "National Revival".
Vladimir Dolukhanyan, another party activist, has added that youth public organizations were engage in the campaigning; and the preparation for the referendum was covered by local TV in a biased manner.
Let us remind that according to the report of the international human rights organization Freedom House, released on January 31, Nagorno-Karabakh is a partially free state.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Alvard Grigoryan Source: CK correspondent
