The suspension of the elections for the speaker of the parliament of Karabakh has raised questions about the representation of refugees' interests in Armenia.

The election of the chairman of the current parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh in Yerevan has been suspended, with pressure from the Armenian authorities and an institutional crisis cited as the reasons. The election of the speaker of parliament and the president of Nagorno-Karabakh will allow for work to defend the interests of refugees, politicians believe.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on July 2, the chairman of the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ashot Danielyan, resigned. The speaker of parliament also served as the acting president of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The acting speaker of the National Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh Gagik Bagunts stated that "the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has decided to suspend the process of electing the chairman of the parliament."

We do not consider it possible to organize new independent elections at this stage.

He explained this decision by the difficult conditions resulting from the exodus of residents from Nagorno-Karabakh. Among the reasons, Bagunts also mentioned "pressure from the Armenian authorities, the institutional crisis of our state system following the resignation of the speaker of the National Assembly Ashot Danielyan, and the lack of resources and levers of influence of state institutions."

"We do not consider it possible to organize new independent elections at this stage. The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh will continue its activities under the existing conditions. Only if favorable conditions arise will proper electoral processes be organized," Bagunts told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

Doctor of Political Science Tigran Torosyan believes that "the state bodies of Artsakh must act despite the difficult times."

"It is essential to elect a new speaker of parliament and president of Artsakh, and the state bodies of Artsakh must continue their work not for the formal preservation of positions, but for real work to protect the rights of Artsakh residents and the return of Artsakh. It is not enough to limit ourselves to written statements; concrete actions are necessary to achieve results in protecting these rights," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

The leadership of Artsakh must focus on a unified strategy for the protection and promotion of the rights of Artsakh residents. To realize their responsibility to the people.

In the legal and constitutional context, Artsakh residents remain citizens of Armenia, but their rights and interests are effectively not represented by either the state structures of Armenia or the functioning bodies of Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenia, noted political analyst Naira Ayrumyan. She considers the situation paradoxical.

"The parliament of Artsakh continues to exist, but since July 2 - without a speaker of the National Assembly. The question is not so much about the formal preservation of state positions, but about whether these structures are capable of fulfilling the function of representing the collective rights of Artsakh residents. The leadership of Artsakh must focus on a unified strategy for the protection and promotion of the rights of Artsakh residents. To realize their responsibility to the people," Ayrumyan noted.