Sabirabad residents state violations during municipal elections

On January 5, over 150 residents of the Sabirabad District of Azerbaijan held a protest action in front of the building of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) in Baku against violations during municipal elections. The protesters are going to address President's administration and ask to consider their claims.

According to Azad Iskenderli, Chairman of the Regional Human Rights Centre, falsifications were observed at some polling stations, and ballot boxes were forced away by the police to the constituency electoral commissions without vote tabulation.

Eldar Mamedov, one of the candidates for municipality, has noted that the protocols had been filled in one day prior to voting. Other candidates - Mamedali Abdullaev and Enver Takhmanov - have reported that they are still persecuted by the police and executive officials, as the Agency "Bakililar.AZ" reports.

Let us note here that Deputy Gyultekin Gadjibeili believes that the municipal elections passed normally. "My observations show that people were prepared for municipal elections and went to cast their ballots for the candidates who had won their trust," she said in her interview to the "1news.az" Agency.

On the voting day she supervised 42 polling stations of four constituencies in the city of Sumgait.

"Observers find municipal elections in Azerbaijan non-free and non-democratic", "Azerbaijan: opposition states falsification of elections", "CEM&TD: Azerbaijan has no conditions for democratic elections".