Armenia election violations may show level of Karabakh escalation: Jane’sMarch 25, 2017 - 13:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The degree of irregularities in Armenia's general election will likely determine the level of protests and escalation in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), an article on Jane’s Defense Weekly says. On April 2, Armenia will hold its first general election since the adoption of constitutional amendments in a nationwide referendum on December 6, 2015. The constitutional changes transform the country's political system from a presidential to a parliamentary model in February 2018, after President Serzh Sargsyan's current term expires. The ruling Republican Party of Armenia's dominance on political scene is likely to end after the elections, the article suggests. “Azerbaijan might well be tempted, given Armenia's preoccupation with the elections, particularly if there are widespread protests, to initiate a controlled escalation of the Karabakh conflict,” the publication assumes. “The degree of Russian influence over Armenia is likely to depend on the level of political pluralism in the new parliament, which will become more empowered in 2018, in accordance with the recently adopted constitutional amendments.” Improved voter verification and polling station surveillance mitigate risks of outright voter fraud, but vote-buying is likely to continue, the journal adds. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. |