Mr. Agabekyan collected 53.3% of votes in the second round of elections yesterday, the press service of the Nagorny Karabakh Foreign Ministry quoted the local Central Election Commission as saying.
About 38.8% of voters supported former Vice Mayor of Stepanakert Pavel Nadzharyan.
As compared to the first round, the voting activity grew by 10% and totaled 51%, the election commission reported.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry resolutely condemned the elections in Nagorny Karabakh. According to the ministry, the elections to the local self-government bodies cannot be considered legal as they contradict the Azeri and international laws.
However, the Nagorny Karabakh Foreign Ministry regards the appeal to Azerbaijan's legislation "absolutely groundless".
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Walter Schwimmer also criticized the elections. He claimed the inadmissibility of local elections in Nagorny Karabakh and recollected the previous appeal of the Council of Europe to abstain from unilateral elections. "Unilateral actions are counter-productive," Mr. Schwimmer said.
Stepanakert officials said that his statement is far from modern realia. "Nagorny Karabakh is a sovereign state, which has nothing to do with Azerbaijan, and lives an independent life in the territory, which has always belonged to Armenians," the Nagorny Karabakh Foreign Ministry stressed.
The Nagorny Karabakh authorities believe that the municipal elections fully meet international laws implying the right of free elections.
