Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijani lawmakers on Friday criticized the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) over its critical feedback on the country’s 2010 parliamentary elections.

Vice-Speaker Bahar Muradova, who heads the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, said that she had suggested during the assembly’s winter session that ended last week replacing incumbent ODIHR director, Slovenian lawmaker Janez Lenarcic.

Speaker Ogtay Asadov also criticized ODIHR, but said that even if the organization’s head is replaced, "its essence would not change".

"During a meeting with OSCE/ODIHR officials who visited Azerbaijan on the eve of the election, I asked them whether they had come here with a ‘ready recipe’ or would conduct observations normally. They said they never had such recipes. But we have witnessed for many years that OSCE/ODIHR always comes here with ‘ready recipes’."

OSCE/ODIHR said in its final report assessing the November 7, 2010 elections issued in late January that serious efforts are needed to create a competitive environment for elections with fair conditions for all candidates. The report said that overall, the elections failed to meet a number of key OSCE commitments for democratic elections and important elements of Azerbaijani domestic legislation.

President Ilham Aliyev's Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party (YAP) gained a 72-seat majority in the 125-member parliament at the elections, with almost all the rest of the seats going to independent candidates that some claim are loyal to the government.