PACE praises presidential elections in Azerbaijan
By Aynur Jafarova
The session of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a final document on the results of the October 9 presidential election in Azerbaijan on November 22.
The session was moderated by PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon. It discussed a report by Robert Walter, chairman of a PACE ad hoc committee that monitored the election in Azerbaijan.
The report, titled "Observation of the presidential election in Azerbaijan", was praised as "meeting requirements of the Council of Europe" by the majority of PACE parliamentarians at the session.
They said the report clearly reflected both pre-election situation in Azerbaijan, and the events that took place on Election Day.
Some MPs, who have had a strong bias against Azerbaijan, including Anders Herkell and Andreas Gross, tried to cast doubt on some of the provisions of the report, but their accusations drew sharp reaction from other PACE deputies.
Pedro Agramunt, a PACE co-rapporteur for Azerbaijan, said he had visited Baku as a member of the monitoring mission. He said he was directly involved in observing the electoral process, approving the result of the election. He said he fully backed Walter's post-election statement and report.
According to co-rapporteur for Azerbaijan Joseph Debono Grech, Azerbaijan had made progress in democratization.
"As the Council of Europe we should be proud of what we have done in Azerbaijan so far. Since its gaining membership of the Council of Europe more than 10 years ago, we managed with the help of former and current co-rapporteurs to have brought the country closer to the Council of Europe values," he said.
He also urged PACE members to be fair rather than blame Azerbaijan.
"I have worked here for 15 years. And what I see in the past 10 years is that whatever happens in this organization, everybody says Azerbaijan. Floods hit Italy, they say Azerbaijan. Some other events happen, they again say Azerbaijan. Be impartial, my friends! Don't forget that the country was under the communist regime for 70 years, and it has made a big leap forward in the last decade. We should be proud of these achievements. I have been many times to Azerbaijan. I have seen three presidential elections there, and I can say the last election was better than the previous ones," he said.
Speaking at the session, Samad Seyidov, the head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, said the October 9 presidential election is the most open and transparent in the history of Azerbaijan.
"All polling stations were open for the international observers, who were part of the vote counting after the polling stations closed. You never see this in many Council of Europe member countries. Azerbaijan is always ready for dialogue and cooperation. We are ready to do everything we can so that the situation in the country changes for the better," Seyidov said.
He also said that Azerbaijan with 95 percent of its population being Muslims should be a model to other countries.
"Azerbaijan is a full member of the council of Europe. We are cooperating with many European organizations as the country improves its democratic institutions. Azerbaijan is the only country in the region which has enhanced its budget 20 times in the last decade, and reduced the poverty level from 50 percent to 5 percent," he said. "We did everything necessary for this election, and its results were the manifestation of the Azerbaijani people's will. The election proved that Ilham Aliyev is the President who has the trust of the Azerbaijani people."
Rafael Huseynov, a member of the Azerbaijani delegation, described Robert Walter's report as "balanced, objective and fair".
"The presidential election is a remarkable political event in the history of any country. But for the new independent countries and young democracies such as Azerbaijan each election is a serious test. We can confidently say that Azerbaijan has passed the test, and this is evident in positive statements made by international organizations," Huseynov said.
According to Huseynov, the fact that the election was praised as free, transparent and fair by PACE, the European Parliament and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is a remarkable achievement in democratic improvement for Azerbaijan.
"Reality emerges with comparison. I've had the opportunity to observe 6 presidential elections in Azerbaijan in 22 years in the capacity of both a representative of a presidential candidate, an observer or a journalist. I've also monitored presidential and parliamentary elections in European countries in my 13-year long mission as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. So I can compare the last presidential election in Azerbaijan both with previous ones in the country and the elections in other European countries," Huseynov said.
He went on to note that the October 9 presidential elections in Azerbaijan were better than the previous presidential elections in the country, and closer to the best European standards. Azerbaijan is committed to democratic values.
"I think it is necessary to stress the statement of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office who openly said that the last presidential election in Azerbaijan was a reflection of big progress in terms of reaching the world standards and better observing the principles of the OSCE and the Council of Europe," Huseynov said.
Robert Walter said the result of the presidential election should be seen as reflecting the will of the people of Azerbaijan.
The October 9 presidential election in Azerbaijan ended with an overwhelming victory of Ilham Aliyev, who was nominated by the ruling New Azerbaijan Party.
Ilham Aliyev, 51, whose victory in the October 9 presidential election was approved by the country's Constitutional Court, got over 84 percent of the votes.