For this occasion, it has even been decided to convene an ‘extraordinary session’. However, the outcome of the vote is already predetermined. The only candidate for the ‘presidential’ position is Samvel Shahramanyan, while the candidacy of Samvel Babayan has been rejected.
This ‘Karabakh-style democracy celebration’ was preceded by lengthy negotiations between local political clans, pompously referred to as ‘political parties’ and ‘parliamentary factions’.
It is clear that both the ‘elections’ and their results will not be recognized by anyone. Even Armenia itself did not recognize the ‘independence of Artsakh’. Over the past 30 years, a clear position has not been formulated on what the Azerbaijani Karabakh is from Yerevan’s perspective – an independent state? Part of Armenia, as implied by the Armenian declaration of sovereignty, which refers to the decision on ‘miatsum’?
However, there is no doubt that behind the electoral farce in Khankendi stands the team of Nikol Pashinyan.
It seems that a decision has been made here to play a long game: to sacrifice a piece in the form of Arayik Harutyunyan, who was unanimously hated in both Yerevan and Khankendi, to throw a bone to the ‘Karabakh clan’, and to allow Samvel Shahramanyan to be appointed to the ‘presidential’ post. Most importantly, to buy time – allegedly, the new ‘leadership’ needs to get acquainted with the state of affairs, ‘take a look around the compartments’, and therefore, no fundamental decisions will be made for now. Dialogue with official Baku is once again postponed indefinitely.
But the whole problem is that this long game looks impressive and functional only in Pashinyan’s imagination. And no additional time for ‘swinging’, ‘parliamentary spectacles’, and other political self-activity will be received from Baku by the separatists. And the clock is ticking.
