Azerbaijani authorities refuse to further amend their Electoral Code

The authorities of Azerbaijan have no intention to make any more changes in the Electoral Code of the country. Ali Gasanov, head of the public-political department of the administration of the President of Azerbaijan, made this statement to journalists, when making comments on the final opinion adopted on June 13 at the session of the Venetian Commission of the Council of Europe, where the recent amendments to the Electoral Code of Azerbaijan were treated negatively.

"We have certain disagreements with the latest conclusion of the Venetian Commission on our Electoral Code. Some issues should be estimated on the basis of Azerbaijani realities, including the proposals of the Venetian commission as to formation of electoral commissions," said Mr Gasanov.

"The Venetian Commission wants to make electoral commissions more trustworthy. This is our desire too," he has added. However, Ali Gasanov has noted that the attempts to reach consensus with political parties at the roundtable had failed.

"As of today, the most optimum version is the current composition of the commissions, which comprise the majority, the opposition and non-partisans. This structure was found after 2000. For today, it's impossible to design a better format," said Gasanov, having expressed his hope that in the future the electoral commissions would become more professional.