It would be preferable if the presidential and parliamentary elections in Artsakh both scheduled for March 31 were postponed taking into account the spread of the Coronavirus in Armenia, said Executive Director of Transparency International Anticorruption Center (TIAC), Sona Ayvazyan to Medialab. The Akanates [Eyewtiness] Observation Mission, of which Sona Ayvazyan is a member, is planning to conduct election monitoring of the elections in Artsakh. However, as Ayvazyan notes, a number of the monitors have already refused to work in such conditions.

“We think at this moment it would be better to postpone the elections in Artsakh because now we have a situation where people cannot go to the polls without any fears and concerns,” says Sona Ayvazyan. She believes the situation is such that there is no choice but to delay the vote. “However, as I understand it, they’re making decisions based on the specific situation, that’s why at this point we don’t know how things will unfold. In any case, we are getting ready for the monitoring mission,” Ayvazyan adds.

If the elections are nevertheless held on March 31, according to Ayvazyan, the situation may have a negative impact on the turnout to the vote since not many will show up to cast their ballots.

Original source: Medialab