Azernews.Az

BAKU – The parliamentary elections held in Azerbaijan on November 7 were fully democratic and this is proven by the assessments of numerous international organizations, the senior presidential aide said Wednesday.

Ramiz Mehdiyev told reporters that this election should be termed as a triumph of democracy in the country.

"Indeed, a very transparent election was held in Azerbaijan. Equal conditions had been created for all political forces. I can say that all political forces participated at this election."

Commenting on election observers’ feedback, Mehdiyev said 99 percent of European and other international observers have termed Azerbaijan’s election as a transparent and democratic vote. However, the election observation missions included some people who had different views.

"For instance, the position of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) differed to a certain extent from that of European observers. I believe that these views are subjective and biased and they were voiced under certain instructions."

Mehdiyev said that apparently, when assessing Azerbaijan’s elections, OSCE/ODIHR "issues one view while they are here, but in just one or two months they change their mind and say something different". "This shows that these views are being stated under certain pressure," the presidential aide said.

The ruling Yeni Azerbaycan (New Azerbaijan) Party gained a 72-seat majority in the 125-member legislature. 12 candidates representing 10 other parties were elected to the Milli Majlis as well. Independent candidates claimed the remaining 41 seats.

Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term election observation mission, Audrey Glover, announced after the elections that the vote was conducted technically well for the most part, but this does not hold true for the polling itself, and that "the conditions necessary for a meaningful democratic election were not established." OSCE/ODIHR monitors said they were particularly concerned about alleged "restrictions of fundamental freedoms, media bias, the dominance of public life by one party, and serious violations on election day".

The outcomes of OSCE/ODIHR’s observations will be reflected in the final report of the election observation mission to be issued in two months.