Azernews.Az

The October 15 presidential election in Azerbaijan saw considerable progress in developing democratic elections, but did not meet all of the country`s electoral commitments, international observers have said.
In a joint statement, the observation missions of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament (EP) claimed the election was conducted in a peaceful manner, but was characterized by a lack of robust competition and vibrant political discourse facilitated by the media, and thus did not reflect all principles of "a meaningful and pluralistic democratic election."
Among the problems included some opposition parties having boycotted the election, citing longstanding obstacles. This further limited the scope for meaningful choices for the electorate, the statement said.
"There were notable improvements in the conduct of this election, but additional efforts are necessary to meet crucial international commitments, especially those related to pluralism, the fairness of the campaign environment, and the media," said Boris Frlec, head of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission.
Seven candidates stood in the election, which was intensely watched by both local and international observers. According to the tallies announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Sunday, incumbent President Ilham Aliyev was overwhelmingly re-elected for a second five-year term, winning 88.7% of votes, or a total of 3,139,243 ballots. Among six other hopefuls, the closest rival won only 2.7% of the popular vote.
Frlec told a news conference Thursday that it was regrettable that a variety of political parties were not represented in election commissions. He emphasized that the OSCE had repeatedly provided its recommendations to that end.
Frlec said a number of major violations were reported on election day, including multiple voting using the same signatures and problems with the vote count.
Andres Herkel, head of the PACE delegation, said the election could not be described as fully democratic.
He noted that the October 15 vote differed from previous elections for a number of reasons. Technical and administrative preparations had been conducted on a high level, however, this did not allow holding an absolutely democratic election, which requires resolving some outstanding problems.
"While the voting day could be generally viewed positively and described as marking considerable progress, election observation is done against a broader background of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. In this connection, the issue of freedom of the media in Azerbaijan remains a source of further concern," Herkel said.
"According to our observations on election-day, the elections were well prepared and largely carried out smoothly," Marie Anne Isler Beguin, head of the EP delegation, said. "However, a lack of genuine competition due to the boycott by major opposition parties, and the absence of a real campaign, have to be deeply deplored."
The authorities made efforts to create more equitable conditions for candidates, and the election was organized in an overall efficient manner, although shortcomings were observed on election day, in particular, during the crucial phase of the vote count and tabulation. The observers noted that the campaign was generally low-key, with the incumbent not campaigning personally, and other candidates commanding little apparent public support.
Turnout was 75.64% of eligible voters, or about 4.8 million people, according to the CEC.
The International Election Observation Mission consisted of some 440 observers from 43 countries, including 45 long-term and some 340 short-term observers deployed by the OSCE/ODIHR, as well as 31 parliamentarians and staff from PACE, and ten from the European Parliament.
Ali Hasanov, head of the Azerbaijan President`s Office socio-political department, said the government "would disregard a biased approach" to the elections, calling on international observers to fairly evaluate the compliance of elections with international standards.
Speaking to reporters prior to the international observers` joint statement, Hasanov said no one had the right to cast doubt on an election in which the overwhelming majority of citizens participated and made their choice. He said some international groups apply a double standard when evaluating the election process.
"They are approaching the election differently to this and other issues, in order to retain their tools of influence in a given country. We have been witnessing this for so many years."
"Everything that is deemed by the Azerbaijani people as legitimate should be deemed as such by institutions, as well, otherwise the activity of those institutions is of no importance to us," Hasanov said.
Hasanov said last Wednesday`s poll was held on a higher level than any recent presidential elections in the South Caucasus states.
Commenting on the boycott of elections by some opposition parties, he said: "This is not our fault. President Ilham Aliyev`s gaining 88% of votes, commanding nationwide support, and, as a result, the opposition`s refusal to take part in the elections and knowing beforehand that they would lose, is not our fault. If the Azerbaijani people support one man, this can`t be blamed on him."
At the same time, Hasanov said the opposition that boycotted the vote should, on the contrary, take part in elections in the future, if it is seeking to remain part of Azerbaijani society.
"If it doesn`t, its place will be taken by an opposition that will join elections. As a government, we will be carrying out institutional cooperation with these parties," the presidential administration official added.
NATO welcomed the international groups` statement, citing progress in Azerbaijan`s elections.
"Based on this achievement, Azerbaijan should work further to eliminate the reported remaining shortfalls," said Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the alliance`s Secretary General.
Further, the Bush administration gave a positive assessment of the overall conduct of elections.
"We congratulate the Azerbaijani people on having this election and instituting some improvements in the way this election occurred over previous elections," US State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, told a news briefing in Washington. Overall, McCormack described the election as a step forward.
The European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, applauded Azerbaijan`s elections, as well. In a statement, he said the elections were organized well and no electoral violations were reported.
"I applaud the improvements made in Azerbaijan`s presidential elections. The elections, held in a low-key manner and in accord with the rules, were organized very well, and the addenda introduced to the country`s Election Code were creating fairer conditions for a variety of candidates."
At the same time, Solana said Azerbaijan should take a number of critical steps to meet all of its international commitments. These efforts should be primarily aimed at promoting political pluralism and a fair election environment, bolstering media freedom, conducting free election debates and ensuring a transparent vote count.
Carl Bildt, the Chairman of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, also welcomed progress in the electoral process, while calling for eliminating existing drawbacks.
"I am pleased to note that the elections were generally carried out in a calm and quiet atmosphere and welcome the improvements noted in the conduct of this election," Bildt, the chairman-in-office of the Committee and Swedish Foreign Minister, said in a statement issued on Thursday.
"However, shortcomings were identified in a number of areas. The Azerbaijani authorities need to ensure an accurate and transparent process for complaints and appeals. It is highly regrettable that part of the opposition decided not to take part in the elections."
Bildt recalled the importance for Azerbaijani authorities to implement all their commitments to the Council of Europe, in particular regarding freedom of the media and to increase their efforts to promote the development of a pluralist civil society.
The World Network of Election Observers said that, in general, the elections were held normally and lawfully and met international standards. Among improvements, it cited free movement of local and international observers in polling stations on election day, the sealing of ballot boxes in the presence of observers, the use of transparent boxes and the installation of web-cameras in many polling stations. The group`s final feedback builds on its observations carried out in 450 ballot stations by 94 observers from 34 countries.
Local observers praised the conduct of elections as well. The elections were democratic and complied with international standards, and no major irregularities were observed during the polling, said the Association on Assistance to Civil Society Development, an Azerbaijani non-governmental organization that monitored the voting.
The ELS independent research center, which conducted exit polls throughout the country, said citizens showed a willingness to take part in the surveys, which spoke volumes about public awareness ahead of the elections.
Three exit polls conducted by Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations each gave the incumbent head of state over 80 percent of all votes cast.