Azerbaijan protests to OSCE ODIHR, OSCE PA , PACE on preliminary conclusions on election results
By Trend
Azerbaijan does not consider the preliminary conclusions of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the presidential election held on April 11, as fair and objective, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend April 12.
Hajiyev made the remarks when commenting on the preliminary
conclusions of the International Election Observation mission.
He noted that representatives of the observation mission were
received at the Foreign Ministry today and the protest of
Azerbaijani side was presented.
In the preliminary conclusions subjective allegations and biased
political considerations dominate the methodological and technical
approach to observe the elections, according to Hajiyev.
"The allegations that presidential elections took place within a
restrictive political environment are completely groundless. All
the necessary conditions have been provided for registered
candidates to carry free and open pre-election campaign. Presenting
inactions of some marginal political forces owning to their
political weakness and lack of political support base and passive
election campaign of some candidates as shortcoming is totally
incorrect," he said.
Hajiyev stressed that media in Azerbaijan is completely free. In
the pre-election period, along with the media, there were active
environment of political debate, even beyond any ethical norms in
the social networks as well, he noted.
"Election process took place under the conditions of voters’ active
turnout in a free manner pursuant to the requirements of law.
Contrary to this, without any substantiated facts allegations such
as “disregard to mandatory procedures, lack of transparency and
numerous serious irregularities” do not withhold any criticism,"
Hajiyev said, adding that the Azerbaijani side demanded from the
OSCE/ODHIR to present such facts, if they have any.
Hajiyev noted impossibility to perceive such information serious
when elections were unrestrictedly monitored by more than 60,000
domestic and international observers and 1,000 web cameras in an
online regime.
"Occurrence of technical irregularities during the election cannot
be excluded. However, overgeneralization of individual technical
irregularities and applying them into the entire election is
assessed as overstepping the mandate and biased political
attitude," he said.
While reviewing the preliminary conclusions, one can easily witness
contradictory and self-disproving paragraphs, according to him.
"For instance, it is completely incomprehensible that at one
point the preliminary conclusions note the positive conditions
provided by Government of Azerbaijan for international observers,
professional work of the Central Election Commission, but in
another point claim about lack of transparency and disregard for
mandatory procedures," he said, stressing that such cases are
sufficient in the document, and anyone who reads it can clearly see
it.
Hajiyev emphasized that the attitude displayed by the International
Observation Mission is, in the first place, disrespect to the
millions of Azerbaijani voters, who freely expressed their right to
vote.
"In accordance with the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the
elections are primarily held for the citizens of the Republic of
Azerbaijan. In the free, democratic, fair and transparent
presidential elections the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan
once again expressed their political will," he said.
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