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FREEDOM HOUSE DOWNGRADES KARABAKH DEMOCRACY FOR UNCERTAIN REASONS
Armen Hareyan
HULIQ.com
http://www.huliq.com/1/1113-freedom-house-downgrades-karabakh-democracy-uncertain-reasons
Jan 14 2011
The Freedom House (FH) report, analyzing the democratic trends of
2011, reveals that the Former Soviet region, with the exception of
Baltic States, is moving toward authoritarian rule of governance.
While Armenia is partially a free country, Azerbaijan is downgraded.
Nagorni Karabakh is downgraded for uncertain reasons as well.
The truth, according to the Freedom House, is that since 2001 the
region as a whole demonstrates continuous decline in political rights
and civil liberties. However, FH estimates show that the whole global
freedom suffered its fifth consecutive year of decline in 2010.
With everything more or less predictable, Nagroni Karabakh's democratic
downgrade is surprising. As you already might have noticed, the NKR,
first time ever, now is listed in the "not free" group, together
with its former metropolis ~V Azerbaijan. In my opinion, there
is a mixture of causes behind this outcome. But before mentioning
this, I would urge to pay attention to the Report of the Independent
American-Dutch Monitoring Delegation, published after the observation
mission on Karabakh Parliament elections of May 2010. It is important
to highlight the position of the only American observation mission,
in order to understand where the FH got its negative feedback about
Karabakh. The report reads that the elections were held in a "free,
fair and transparent" manner, in line with national legislation and
the international standards of democracy. The report also marked that
"Nagorno Karabakh continues to make strong progress in establishing
and sustaining a healthy and sustainable democracy". So, if FH put
together all the reports coming from the field, it could not have
resulted in worsening of its status, but just the opposite.
Bearing this in mind, I argue that the FH assessment is more about
putting the indicators of Nagorno Karabakh into some "equation" that
all the other countries pass, without any attachment to the real
political situation and other specifications, effective in Karabakh.
What I want to say, is the following. It's well known, that the
last year, 2010, elections in NKR were less competitive than in the
previous years, because, as it came, less oppositional candidates
contested in the elections. The result was that only 1, if I am
right, candidate out of the all elected MPs can be labeled as being
oppositional. And naturally, I guess, the FH experts just put this
indicator into their equation and the result came, that there is a
certain decline in the democracy of Karabakh. Those experts and FH,
as a whole, obviously did not have time to dig in deeper and realize,
that in reality the main opposition forces in Karabakh had simply
been unwilling to contest the elections for the reasons they would
know better themselves. Perhaps they had not been ready to effectively
participate in the elections, and simply chose the easiest way in the
political process: to standby the elections, and begin criticizing
the Government and the new Parliament for whatever they criticize,
without minor efforts to engage in the political process.
Instead, in the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno Karabakh certain
democratic improvements in the Electoral Code went into effect before
2010 general elections. The general thresholds for political parties
was lowered from 10 to 6 percent, and for political blocs ~V from
15 to 8 percent, thus increasing the chances for relatively small
political units to effectively contest general elections.
In short, the result indicated in the FH report, is more about
technical problems in FH assessments and their practice of
generalization, than about a real setback in Karabakh democracy.
Still, I am not ready to challenge the impartiality of the FH,
since it' has been the most established democracy and human rights
monitor in the world, recognized as such by many. I hope they will
soon correct themselves, as the Permanent Representative of NKR in
Washington DC Amb. R.Avetisyan sent them a letter on the matter,
with comprehensive presentation of the political map of Karabakh.
Written by Hovhannes Nikoghosyan: Director and Research Fellow at
Yerevan-based Public Policy Institute (www.professionals.am)
From: A. Papazian
Armen Hareyan
HULIQ.com
http://www.huliq.com/1/1113-freedom-house-downgrades-karabakh-democracy-uncertain-reasons
Jan 14 2011
The Freedom House (FH) report, analyzing the democratic trends of
2011, reveals that the Former Soviet region, with the exception of
Baltic States, is moving toward authoritarian rule of governance.
While Armenia is partially a free country, Azerbaijan is downgraded.
Nagorni Karabakh is downgraded for uncertain reasons as well.
The truth, according to the Freedom House, is that since 2001 the
region as a whole demonstrates continuous decline in political rights
and civil liberties. However, FH estimates show that the whole global
freedom suffered its fifth consecutive year of decline in 2010.
With everything more or less predictable, Nagroni Karabakh's democratic
downgrade is surprising. As you already might have noticed, the NKR,
first time ever, now is listed in the "not free" group, together
with its former metropolis ~V Azerbaijan. In my opinion, there
is a mixture of causes behind this outcome. But before mentioning
this, I would urge to pay attention to the Report of the Independent
American-Dutch Monitoring Delegation, published after the observation
mission on Karabakh Parliament elections of May 2010. It is important
to highlight the position of the only American observation mission,
in order to understand where the FH got its negative feedback about
Karabakh. The report reads that the elections were held in a "free,
fair and transparent" manner, in line with national legislation and
the international standards of democracy. The report also marked that
"Nagorno Karabakh continues to make strong progress in establishing
and sustaining a healthy and sustainable democracy". So, if FH put
together all the reports coming from the field, it could not have
resulted in worsening of its status, but just the opposite.
Bearing this in mind, I argue that the FH assessment is more about
putting the indicators of Nagorno Karabakh into some "equation" that
all the other countries pass, without any attachment to the real
political situation and other specifications, effective in Karabakh.
What I want to say, is the following. It's well known, that the
last year, 2010, elections in NKR were less competitive than in the
previous years, because, as it came, less oppositional candidates
contested in the elections. The result was that only 1, if I am
right, candidate out of the all elected MPs can be labeled as being
oppositional. And naturally, I guess, the FH experts just put this
indicator into their equation and the result came, that there is a
certain decline in the democracy of Karabakh. Those experts and FH,
as a whole, obviously did not have time to dig in deeper and realize,
that in reality the main opposition forces in Karabakh had simply
been unwilling to contest the elections for the reasons they would
know better themselves. Perhaps they had not been ready to effectively
participate in the elections, and simply chose the easiest way in the
political process: to standby the elections, and begin criticizing
the Government and the new Parliament for whatever they criticize,
without minor efforts to engage in the political process.
Instead, in the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno Karabakh certain
democratic improvements in the Electoral Code went into effect before
2010 general elections. The general thresholds for political parties
was lowered from 10 to 6 percent, and for political blocs ~V from
15 to 8 percent, thus increasing the chances for relatively small
political units to effectively contest general elections.
In short, the result indicated in the FH report, is more about
technical problems in FH assessments and their practice of
generalization, than about a real setback in Karabakh democracy.
Still, I am not ready to challenge the impartiality of the FH,
since it' has been the most established democracy and human rights
monitor in the world, recognized as such by many. I hope they will
soon correct themselves, as the Permanent Representative of NKR in
Washington DC Amb. R.Avetisyan sent them a letter on the matter,
with comprehensive presentation of the political map of Karabakh.
Written by Hovhannes Nikoghosyan: Director and Research Fellow at
Yerevan-based Public Policy Institute (www.professionals.am)
From: A. Papazian