2023 Artsakhian presidential election
← 2020 9 September 2023 (2023-09-09)
Two-thirds of votes from the 33 National Assembly members required
 
Nominee Samvel Shahramanyan
Party Independent
Electoral vote 22
Percentage 95.65%
President before election

Davit Ishkhanyan (acting)
ARF

Elected President

Samvel Shahramanyan
Independent

Snap indirect presidential elections were held on 9 September 2023, in the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh.[1] The President of the National Assembly of Artsakh acted as president until the election.[2][3] The sole candidate, Samvel Shahramanyan, was elected in a 22–1 vote out of 23 deputies present.[4][5] Several countries and supranational organizations, including the Council of Europe and the European Union, declared the elections as unlawful.[6][7]

Background

Facing protests, President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan stated on 29 August 2023 that he was considering resigning and going to serve in Artsakh's militia.[8] On 31 August, Harutyunyan announced his resignation as president of the Republic of Artsakh along with State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan.[9] Before his resignation, Arayik Harutyunyan, by his last decree, appointed the Secretary of the Security Council Samvel Shahramanyan as a State Minister, giving him broad powers.[10] He formally submitted his resignation to Artsakh's parliament on 1 September.[11]

Candidates

The deadline for nominating a candidate for the post of President of the Republic of Artsakh is 7 September 2023.[10]

On 6 September 2023, it became known that three opposition parliamentary factions (Justice, Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Democratic Party of Artsakh) nominated State Minister Samvel Shahramanyan as a presidential candidate.[3] Later Shahramanyan's candidacy was supported by the largest faction of the Parliament, Free Motherland-UCA.[12]

The United Motherland leader Samvel Babayan said that he would take part in the meeting of the National Assembly on the agenda of the presidential elections, but would not vote for the candidate.[3] They plan to hold a demonstration in the capital Stepanakert on the day of the presidential elections.[12] Later, the United Motherland faction nominated its leader Samvel Babayan, but his candidacy was rejected due to the fact that he did not present a certificate of Artsakh citizenship and that he had been permanently residing in the country for the past ten years.[13]

Samvel Shahramanyan

Samvel Shahramanyan, according to various sources, is a close associate of former Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan. When the latter was president, Shahramanyan was the director of the Artsakh National Security Service.[12]

Results

CandidatePartyVotes%
Samvel ShahramanyanIndependent[a]2295.65
Against14.35
Total23100.00
Valid votes23100.00
Invalid/blank votes00.00
Total votes23100.00
Registered voters/turnout3369.70
Source: National Assembly

International reactions

Supranational organizations

Countries

Notes

  1. ^ Nominated by Free Motherland - UCA Alliance, Justice, Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Democratic Party of Artsakh factions

References

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