Karabakh's exiled parliament speaker resigns, deepening institutional vacuum

By Hayk Ghazaryan

Ashot Danielyan, the speaker of Nagorno-Karabakh's exiled parliament and acting president of the self-styled republic, announced his resignation on July 2, leaving both posts vacant with no clear path to filling either.

Danielyan cited what he called false and coordinated attacks on his reputation as a factor in the decision, according to a statement posted on the National Assembly's Facebook page. He said he took on the role in May 2025, not out of personal ambition but to prevent Karabakh's state institutions from being left without leadership at a critical moment.

No successor has emerged. Metakse Hakobyan, a lawmaker from the exiled parliament's Artsakh faction, told CivilNet she could not yet say what would happen next. Deputy Speaker Gagik Baghunts said it was too early to comment. Marsel Petrosyan, a lawmaker from Samvel Babayan's United Homeland faction, said he had been unwell and was unaware of the developments, calling the resignation unexpected.

Under Karabakh's constitution, the parliament speaker automatically assumes the acting presidency when that post is vacant. But with the speakership now vacant, a former National Assembly staffer told CivilNet that a legal vacuum has opened: Baghunts, who has taken over the speaker's duties, cannot also serve as acting president.

A presidency created, then abandoned

Danielyan was elected speaker on May 21, 2025, the sole candidate, receiving unanimous support from the 28 lawmakers present. He assumed the acting presidency because the post had been vacant since Samvel Shahramanyan's term expired that same month.

The presidency itself survived only through a last-minute legal fix. On April 15, 2025, parliament, meeting in Yerevan, passed constitutional amendments preserving the institution of the presidency, after Shahramanyan's mandate — granted in September 2023 only until Karabakh's next elections — was set to lapse without a vote ever being held.

Karabakh's parliament has been without a permanent leader since October 2023, when Azerbaijani forces captured then-speaker David Ishkhanyan; Baghunts served as speaker until Danielyan's election. An independent lawmaker, Karen Hovhannisyan, resigned his own seat on June 20.

Institutions under pressure on multiple fronts

The resignation comes as Armenian authorities pursue a separate legal effort that could strip Karabakh's exiled government of its last registered property in Armenia, a court case over a Yerevan compound that could be decided in May 2026. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly said no government other than Armenia's can exist on Armenian soil.

Displaced Karabakh Armenians have separately said they lack recognized political representation two years after their exodus, as contacts between Yerevan and the exiled leadership have largely broken down.

In his resignation statement, Danielyan said he remained confident that the question of Karabakh was not closed and expressed hope that the National Assembly and other bodies would continue to function despite his departure.