opposition

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2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Elections

Opinion | Competitive politics is returning to Nagorno-Karabakh

by Tigran Grigoryan

•6 min read

The Velvet Revolution has shaken up politics in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the 2020 elections may spell an end for the republic’s old regime. Since the declaration of its independence in 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh has walked a long and bumpy political road. In the 1990s, the military establishment, which played a crucial role in the war of independence, held the real power in the country and practically controlled the entire decision-making process. The political system of the republic was poo

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s ‘selective ignoring’ of European Court compensation rulings

by Gulnur Kazimova

•4 min read

Despite the European Court of Human Rights awarding compensation to dozens of activists and opposition figures in Azerbaijan, many say the government is not paying up. According to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), 190 appeals from Azerbaijan were filed with the Court from January–July 2018, 28 of which received decisions. Asabali Mustafayev, head of local rights group the Democracy and Human Rights Resource Centre, told OC Media that there are currently about 20 people in Azerba

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan: a hostile environment for genuine opposition parties

by Kamran Mahmudov

•7 min read

Nearly five years after the Azerbaijani government began a renewed crackdown on dissenting voices, the environment remains hostile for opposition parties. The authorities create the semblance of a multi-party system by financing political parties whose role is to function as the opposition while maintaining the status quo. Some fear that suppressing genuine opposition and excluding it from the political arena will lead to more radical forms of activism, which could ultimately be damaging for

Analysis

Elections in Armenia: business as usual? [Analysis]

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•6 min read

The Republican Party under President Serzh Sargsyan hopes to solidify its grip on power when Armenians go to the polls on 2 April. But, new developments amongst the opposition along with the death on hunger strike of the ‘Bread Bringer’ have made the contest far more unpredictable than the ruling party would like. As Armenia’s parliamentary elections, set for 2 April, approach, its ruling party is trying to reach a younger and more tech-savvy audience. The Republican Party of Armenia (