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Political System of Artsakh Արցախի հանրապետության պետական համակարգ
Coat of arms of Artsakh
Polity type	Unitary presidential republic
Constitution	Constitution of Artsakh
Formation	December 10, 1991 (1991-12-10)
Legislative branch
Name	National Assembly
Type	Unicameral
Presiding officer	Ashot Ghulian, President of the National Assembly
Executive branch
Head of state and government
Title	President
Currently	Arayik Harutyunyan
Cabinet
Current cabinet	Second Harutyunyan government
Ministries	15

Politics of Artsakh
Constitution Constitution
Executive President
Legislature National Assembly President Members
Administrative divisions Administrative divisions
Elections and Referendums Political parties Recent elections General: 2020 Presidential: 2012 2017 Parliamentary: 2010 2015 Referendums 1991 (independence) 2006 2017
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Representative offices International recognition Visa policy
Related topics Political status of Artsakh OSCE Minsk Group Politics of Armenia Politics of Azerbaijan
Other countries
v t e

Politics of Artsakh took place within the constraints of a written constitution, approved by a popular vote, that recognises three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch of government was exercised within a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Artsakh was both the head of state and the head of government. The legislative branch of government was composed of both the Government and the National Assembly. Elections to the National Assembly were on the basis of a multi-party system. As of 2009, the American-based non-governmental organisation, Freedom House, ranks Artsakh above both Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of political and civil rights. The republic was de facto independent and de jure a part of Azerbaijan. None of the elections in Artsakh were recognised by international bodies such as the OSCE Minsk Group, the European Union or the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Both Azerbaijan and Turkey had condemned the elections and called them a source of increased tensions.

Following the Azerbaijani offensive on 19 September 2023, Artsakh agreed to dissolve itself by 1 January 2024, however instead of dissolving, they established a government-in-exile in Yerevan, Armenia. The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, has since severely opposed the government-in-exile's existence in Armenia.

Executive branch

The President was directly elected for a five-year term, by popular vote.

Current government

Legislative branch

The National Assembly (Azgayin Zhoghov) had 33 members who were elected for a five-year term by Party-list proportional representation. Artsakh had a multi-party system, with numerous political parties in which no one party often had a chance of gaining power alone, and parties had to work with each other to form coalition governments.

Judicial branch

Narine Narimanyan was the last Head of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Artsakh.

Latest elections

Presidential election

Parliamentary election

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Free Motherland - UCA Alliance	30,015	40.80	16	+1
	United Motherland	17,683	24.04	9	New
	Justice	5,867	7.98	3	New
	Armenian Revolutionary Federation	4,758	6.47	3	–4
	Democratic Party of Artsakh	4,314	5.86	2	–4
	New Artsakh Alliance	3,385	4.60	0	New
	National Revival	2,175	2.96	0	0
	Artsakh Conservative Party	2,156	2.93	0	New
	Artsakh Revolutionary Party	1,325	1.80	0	New
	United Armenia Party	930	1.26	0	New
	Generation of Independence Party	551	0.75	0	New
	Communist Party of Artsakh	402	0.55	0	0
Total		73,561	100.00	33	0
Valid votes		73,561	96.82
Invalid/blank votes		2,419	3.18
Total votes		75,980	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		104,866	72.45
Source: CEC, Armenanews

Political parties

Below is a list of former political parties in Artsakh. The region had a multi-party system with numerous political parties, in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments. The following parties won seats in the National Assembly following the 31 March 2020 Artsakhian general election (total 33 seats):

The extra-parliamentary political parties which had no seats in the National Assembly, are listed below:

• Armenia Our Home (Mer Tun’ Hayastan)
• Artsakh Conservative Party
• Artsakh Freedom Party
• Artsakh Republican Party
• Artsakh Revolutionary Party
• Communist Party of Artsakh (Artsaki Komunistakan Kusaktsutyun)
• Generation of Independence Party
• Identity and Unity Party
• Moral Revival (Baroyakan Veratsnund)
• Movement 88 (Sharzhum 88)
• National Revival (Azgayin Veratsnund)
• New Artsakh Alliance
• Peace and Development Party (Khaghaghutyun yev Zargatsum Kusaktsutsyun)
• Powerful United Homeland Party
• Social Justice Party (Sotsialakan Ardarutyun Kusaktsutyun)
• Tomorrow Artsakh
• United Armenia Party

See also

• Electoral calendar
• Electoral system
• Elections in Artsakh
• Foreign relations of Artsakh
• List of political parties in Artsakh
• List of political parties in Armenia
• List of political parties by country
• Armenakan Party (Nagorno-Karabakh)
• National Assembly (Artsakh)
• Politics of Armenia

References

1. freedomhouse.org: Map of Freedom in the World, Freedom House, 2009
2. freedomhouse.org: Map of Freedom in the World, Freedom House, 2009
3. freedomhouse.org: Map of Freedom in the World, Freedom House, 2009
4. "EU does not recognize 'elections' in Nagorno Karabakh". News.Az. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
5. Mustafa Pazarlı. "US will not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh's elections". Videonews.us. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
6. Mushvig Mehdiyev. "OIC condemns "elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh as illegal". AzerNews.az. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
7. "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will cease to exist from Jan 1 2024 - Nagorno-Karabakh authorities". Reuters. 2023-09-28. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
8. "Nagorno-Karabakh dissolution not valid, says Armenian separatist leader". France 24. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
9. "Pashinian Slams, Warns Karabakh Leaders". Radio Free Europe. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
10. "Pashinyan Attacks Artsakh Government in Exile". Oragark. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.

External links

• The Artsakh Republic Central Electoral Commission

v t e Political parties in Artsakh
Armenakan Party Armenia Our Home Armenian Revolutionary Federation Artsakh Conservative Party Artsakh Freedom Party Artsakh Republican Party Artsakh Revolutionary Party Communist Party of Artsakh Democratic Party of Artsakh Free Motherland Generation of Independence Party Identity and Unity Party Justice Moral Revival Movement 88 National Revival New Artsakh Alliance Peace and Development Party Powerful United Homeland Party Social Justice Party Tomorrow Artsakh United Armenia Party United Civic Alliance Party United Motherland
Politics portal Lists of political parties Politics of Artsakh

• Politics of the Republic of Artsakh
• 1991 establishments in Azerbaijan
• 2023 disestablishments in Azerbaijan