April 14, 2020 - 11:40 AMT
Artsakh electing new President amid emergency situation

The second round of Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabakh) presidential election kicked off on Tuesday, April 14 morning amid the emergency situation declared in the country just two days earlier.

Karabakh has declared an emergency situation from April 12 to May 12. The measure was announced by outgoing President Bako Sahakyan and is aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Six people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 so far.

Two candidates – former First Minister Arayik Harutyunyan who got the 49.26% of the vote in the first round, and Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan who got 26.4% – are running for President in the country with a population of roughly 150,000.

More than 103,000 people are eligible to vote in 281 polling stations across the country and one in Yerevan, Armenia.

The first round of the vote was held two weeks earlier on March 31, when parliamentary elections were also held. 33 lawmakers from five parties and blocs were elected to the National Assembly as a result.