Azernews.Az

The European Union`s critical description of the October 15 presidential elections has drawn a response from the Azerbaijani government.
The statement by the EU presidency, issued by France which chairs the 27-member union, claimed the elections still do not meet international standards of democracy, particularly with regard to the organization of public debates, the conduct of polling and the vote count. The EU urged Azerbaijani authorities to continue their efforts to honor their international commitments regarding democratic pluralism and media freedom.
The Foreign Ministry criticized the EU`s assessment, terming it as "inconceivable and disappointing." The ministry said in a statement last Wednesday that the EU had drastically distorted the gist of the electoral process and was inconsistent with the feedback of international observers, including those of the EU itself.
Further, the ministry said such a biased approach did not reflect the will of the Azerbaijani people. "This runs counter to the nature of existing relations between Azerbaijan and the EU, and will do nothing to promote confidence."
A day later, Azerbaijan`s senior electoral body echoed the criticism, labeling the EU`s feedback a "disrespect for Azerbaijani voters."
"The EU presidency`s statement, for unknown reasons, substantially crosses out the positions of the thousands of observers that tracked the elections on one hand, and that of high-ranking EU officials on the other," the Central Election Commission (CEC) said.
The CEC said considering that the EU had congratulated the governments of neighboring countries after elections held there early this year, this harshly critical stance on Azerbaijan`s elections was "inconceivable, to say the least."
The CEC`s response suggests that the Azerbaijani government was mostly angered by the expression that "the elections do not meet international standards," which was not cited in the initial assessment of 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).
In a joint statement, the observation missions said 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." The problems included some opposition parties having boycotted the election, which further limited the scope for meaningful choices for the electorate, the statement said.
It is the first time that international criticism of elections has faced such a tough reaction from the Azerbaijani government. During previous elections, repeated statements by international groups were met with a rather restrained response from Baku, although the government did indicate that their comments were biased. Now, however, the government is aggressively seeking to prove that the EU`s assessment is wrong.
An Azerbaijani opposition leader has claimed the presidential poll, and Baku`s harsh response to international criticism, showed that the government was not interested in the country`s Western integration.
Commenting on the Foreign Ministry`s statement, Musavat party leader, Isa Gambar, maintained that authorities were discontent with the assessment of not only the EU but that of Western organizations as a whole.
Gambar said the assessments of international groups mainly noted that, despite some improvements, the presidential election did not fully meet Azerbaijan`s commitments. He claimed the authorities are intolerant not only of criticism originating from within the county but also of opinions expressed abroad.
"Note that one of the deputy foreign ministers has stated in the past few days that Azerbaijan has not passed a decision on its intent to be admitted to the EU. This shows that the authorities did not confine themselves to rigging the election, but also backed down on their intent to take its place in the civilized world. The goal here is to assert the longevity of authoritarianism and to gain more wealth," the opposition leader alleged.
Gambar said Azerbaijan was following Russia`s path by launching attacks on Western organizations.
Gultakin Hajiyeva, deputy chair of the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE, cited other reasons for the government`s tough response. She said Western groups are comparing Azerbaijan`s elections with those held in Armenia and Georgia, which is wrong.
"No one in Azerbaijan doubts President Ilham Aliyev`s victory, while in Armenia and Georgia, stealing the victory from the real winner could have been a subject of discussion. Blowing the minor shortfalls in Azerbaijan out of proportion is not a fair stance," the lawmaker said.
She added that in general, any feedback or view cannot divert Azerbaijan from the path of Western integration.