Activists call for removing barriers to fair elections in Azerbaijan

The basic rights and freedoms that guarantee holding of fair municipal elections are limited in Azerbaijan by the current electoral legislation, concludes the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre (EMDS).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the next municipal elections are scheduled in Azerbaijan for December.

On October 7, the EMDS disseminated a survey stating that "despite repeated criticism of a number of provisions of the Electoral Code by local socio-political organizations, as well as by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the OSCE/ODIHR, the necessary reforms to eliminate the existing deficiencies were never implemented."

The Azerbaijani authorities have not changed the principles for the formation of election commissions, Anar Mamedli, the chair of the EMDS, has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Formally, one third of the members of the election commission are appointed by the party of the parliamentary majority, one third ‑ by non-MPs, and one third ‑ by the parties of the parliamentary minority. However, in fact, all members of the election commissions are appointees of the authorities, since the parliament itself was formed in a non-democratic way," Anar Mamedli said.

Among the shortcomings of the electoral system, the chair of the EMDS also noted the restriction of freedom of assembly in the country, the lack of political pluralism on TV channels and radio stations, and shortcomings in the voter lists.

"There is very little time left before the elections and many of the recommendations of international institutions will not be implemented," Anar Mamedli said. However, according to him, there is still a chance to secure the minimum conditions for holding competitive elections, the EMDS states in its survey.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 8, 2019 at 05:22 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.