Presidential and parliamentary elections will take place in Artsakh on March 31. The National Assembly elections don’t get much media coverage yet, whereas the presidential elections and the candidates receive the most media attention.

According to the new Constitution adopted in Artsakh in 2017, hereinafter the two elections will be conducted at the same time. The National Assembly deputies will be elected based only on the proportional representation, i.e. political party lists.

The candidates were nominated on February 5-15. The registration dates are February 16-26.

These presidential elections are represented by unprecedented number of candidates. There are 14 people running for president, two of them being female candidates (this is the first case in the history of Artsakh.) The names of some candidates are almost unknown even to local journalists.

Two party alliances and 10 parties have decided to run for parliament.

The pre-election campaign will last from February 26 to March 29.

The prices for the political ads on TV and radio have been fixed.

For the pre-election period, the airtime of Artsakh Public Radio will cost 2160 AMD per minute (VAT included). As for Artsakh Public TV, the airtime will cost 4320 AMD per minute (VAT included).

This time, Public TV and radio company will have no monopoly on political ads. One minute of political advertising will cost 8000 AMD at the new AR TV channel of Artsakhkap CJSC.

According to the web site of the Central Electoral Commission, the airtime during the elections in 2012 cost 35 000 AMD per minute on Public TV, and 20 000 AMD per minute on radio.

During the NA elections in 2015, the Public television presented a big list of services, according to which, a minute of airtime on TV with or without a teleprompter cost 35 000 or 30 000 AMD, accordingly. Producing and broadcasting a promotional video cost 75 000 AMD per minute; producing and broadcasting a TV story cost 60 000 AMD per minute. Broadcasting an up-to-a-minute ready-made video piece cost 3600 AMD, VAT excluded.

In the same year, 1 minute of radio air time cost 10 000 AMD. Producing and broadcasting a promotional radio piece cost 15 000 AMD. Broadcasting an up-to-a-minute ready-made radio piece cost 3600 AMD, VAT excluded.

Anahit Danielyan