Friday, August 5, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

Majority of Artsakh Voters Approve New Constitution

by Asbarez Staff
February 21, 2017
in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
An Artsakh voter casts her ballot during Monday's referendum for a new Constitution
An Artsakh voter casts her ballot during Monday’s referendum for a new Constitution

STEPANAKERT—More than 75 percent of eligible voters in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic turned out to vote on a new Constitution on Monday, with almost 88 percent of them overwhelmingly approving a package of reforms, which included making Artsakh an absolute presidential government.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Central Electoral Commission published the results of the voting late Monday, saying that 79,428 citizens, or 76.52 percent of eligible voters turned out to vote in 11 electoral districts. The tally also included Artsakh residents who voted in Yerevan. Of those voters, 69,540 voters, or 87.52 percent voted in favor of the new constitution while 7,686 voters, or 9.7 percent oppositng the reforms. The Artsakh CEC also deemed 2,202, or 2.8 percent, of the ballots as invalid.

Under the new constitution, a draft of which was unveiled in November, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will officially be renamed Artsakh Republic, with its boundaries outlined as “the territory under factual jurisdiction of the Artsakh Republic.”

A special commission on constitutional reforms for the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, headed by National Assembly Speaker Ashot Ghulyan, said back in November that the key changes to the existing constitution aimed to clearly define the branches of the government, shifting Artsakh into a presidential form of government, from the current power-sharing mechanism between the executive and legislative branches.

Artsakh's Central Electoral Commission summed up voter turnout results from Monday vote
Artsakh’s Central Electoral Commission summed up voter turnout results from Monday vote

The new Constitution will fully come into force after Karabakh’s current parliament ends its term in 2020. The parliament will choose an interim president, who will serve until 2020 when new presidential elections will be held. President Bako Sahakian, who hailed Monday’s vote as another democrativ victory for Artsakh, will be eligible to run in 2020.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation of Artsakh issued a statement late last year opposing the constitutional reforms. During the process, it had argued for a parliamentary system of government for Artsakh that, it deemed more democratic and mirroring the system in Armenia.

In an interview in January, published in the Artsakh-based Aparaj newspaper, the chair of the ARF Central Committee of Artsakh and ARF Parliamentary faction head David Ishkhanyan said, “the constitution must strengthen our national goals and must not leave us with any doubts… It should also be the basis for our democratic principles.”

“There were certain factors of the constitution like the change system of government and simultaneous elections that the ARF was against. We also had a more radical approach to the solution of our borders,” explained Ishkhanyan in that interview, adding that the ARF’s opposition to the reforms did not mean that the party would become an opposition force in Artsakh’s political landscape.

The Artsakh CEC chairwoman, Srbuhi Arzumanyan, said Monday that her office had not received formal reports of irregularities from local, Armenian or more than a hundred international observers.

Artsakh President Bako Sahakian casts his ballot during Monday's referendum
Artsakh President Bako Sahakian casts his ballot during Monday’s referendum

One of the observers, Frank Engel, a member of the European Parliament from Luxembourg, told reports in Stepanakert that there was nothing problematic about the referendum, adding that “I would hope that more actors in the international community take note of the fact that in this part of the South Caucasus people decide freely.”

International monitors from Armenia, Russia, the EU, the US, South America and other parts of the world converged on Artsakh over the weekend to monitor the elections, with an overwhelming majority of them deeming the vote fair.

Azerbaijan, of course, opposed the referendum, calling Monday’s vote illegal.

In a joint statement issued late last week, the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group stressed that the referendum results will “in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations” on a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The new Constitution will continue the traditions of state building enshrined in the first constitution, further strengthen the sovereignty of the country, and promote human rights and the rule of law, to improve public administration, fortify the independent judiciary and reform the local self-government,” said the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Foreign Ministry in a statement Tuesday.

“The referendum on 20 February has become another act of expression of will by the people of Artsakh, in exercising their right to determine their own future, as enshrined in fundamental international documents,” added the Artsakh Foreign Ministry.

“The attempts of Baku to suppress by all means, including military, this inherent right of the people of Artsakh, lead to the outbreak of the armed conflict. It remains a major source of persistent tension in the region and the reason for the lack of progress in the resolution of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict,” said the Artsakh Foreign Ministry statement. “The democratic development of Artsakh’s statehood is an irreversible process. Reluctance of Azerbaijan to recognize this fact through denial of the right to self-determination realized by the people of Artsakh is an attempt to return to the past, which is doomed to failure.”

Armenia hailed the Monday vote with its Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian calling the referendum “another substantiation of the determination of the people of Artsakh to govern their life through democratic processes.”

“It is commendable that more than hundred international observers representing three dozen countries assessed the Referendum as well organized, transparent and in line with international standards,” said Nalbandian.

“The exercise of fundamental freedoms is a universal right that cannot be subject to limitations. For quarter of a century Nagorno-Karabakh has been conducting processes inherent to democratic societies and there is no doubt that the people of Artsakh have certainly gained the right to live according to the same universal values that the free democratic world enjoys,” said the foreign minister.

“Once again the people of Artsakh demonstrated that their will to build a democratic society is irreversible notwithstanding all odds of continuous use of force and threat of force, economic blockade and other hostile actions perpetrated by Azerbaijan. It does not come as a surprise that the ongoing democratic processes in Artsakh are met with such an extreme discontent in Azerbaijan – a country notorious with its human rights violations,” added Nalbandian.

Asbarez Staff

Asbarez Staff

Next Post

Armenia Disapproves of Azerbaijan's Arms Purchases from Russia

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Pashinyan Accuses Azerbaijan of Wanting to End Karabakh Ceasefire

Pashinyan Accuses Azerbaijan of Wanting to End Karabakh Ceasefire

13 hours ago
U.S. Discusses Karabakh with Turkey as Calls for De-Escalation Mount

U.S. Discusses Karabakh with Turkey as Calls for De-Escalation Mount

13 hours ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • www.asbarez.com
    • August 5, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to