Azerbaijan: Election Commissions fill authorities’ order

Retraining courses aimed to enhance qualification of chairmen of the district election commissions, organised by the Central Election Committee of Azerbaijan, have a formal nature, such kind of view was expressed by deputy chairman of the Party of Popular Front of Azerbaijan (PPFA) Fuad Gakhramanly. 

“I think that this has a formal nature. That is not the problem that election commission representatives are not professional, but the problem is that they have to fill an order from “above”,” Azerbaijani Mirror paper quoted him as saying.

He said that whatever courses, training seminars are offered, if the election commissions are under control of authorities of Azerbaijan, it’s impossible to expect any effect from these activities.

Fuad Gakhramanly also said that major oppositional parties of the country (Musavat, for example, and the PPFA) were not represented in the election commissions.

“The authorities are just trying to show that they intend to democratize the election commissions,” said politician.

He stressed that despite the Electoral Code of Azerbaijan enshrines places for meetings between candidates and voters, this right isn’t being realized.

“And this shows that places for meetings between candidates of the parliamentary elections [and voters] are being put into conformity to the presidential administration,” he said.

Gakhramanly voiced concerns that amid the absence of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, the Azerbaijani authorities can offer unsuitable places for meetings between oppositional politicians and voters.

Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan are scheduled for November 7; the election campaigns will start early in September.