Roughly 66,000 observers to monitor November 1 elections
By Aynur Karimova
The parliamentary elections to be held on November 1 will be monitored by 66,000 observers.
Mazahir Panahov, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan, said on October 29 that some 501 international observers from 40 organizations will observe the forthcoming elections.
"Until now some 2,619 people were registered in the CEC to observe the elections in the country, while more than 63,000 local observers were registered in the district election commissions," he added.
International organizations and foreign media are showing significant interest in the upcoming elections.
The observation missions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, Parliamentary Assembly of GUAM, Parliamentary Assembly of Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking States, the parliaments of Australia, Italy, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, a delegation from the House of Lords of Great Britain, the heads of delegations of the central election commissions from different countries and other authoritative bodies registered at the CEC for observing the election in Azerbaijan.
Reports confirm socio-political stability
The Association for Civil Society Development in Azerbaijan has presented its interim report on monitoring the pre-election situation in the country.
Head of the AVCIYA election headquarter Maharram Zulfugarli said that the report covers a period from September 1, 2015 to October 26, 2015.
He said the results of the monitoring show that socio-political stability reigns in Azerbaijan.
“This stability creates basis for normal and fair elections in the country. The freedom of assembly has been fully provided in Azerbaijan,” Zulfugarli added.
Also, the “Parliament-2015" electoral monitoring coalition also presented its interim report on the monitoring of elections.
Coordinator Rufiz Gonagov said that the monitoring was implemented by 5 non-governmental organizations in accordance with the presidential decree dated August 28, 2015.
According to him, 500 employees were sent to 118 constituencies for implementation of the monitoring.
“Queries were held among 23,600 people, while 5,900 people were interviewed. Four local and two foreign organizations were registered for conducting exit-poll,” he added.
Gonagov also said that the activities of all district and precinct election commissions, which were monitored, are organized in accordance with the requirements of the legislation.
"The district election commissions are equipped with all necessary appliances and equipment. Polling stations are organized in places where voters can easily come and vote. Voter lists are updated and posted on the website of the Central Election Commission. The CEC also has a page on a social network, where information is regularly placed," he added.
The member of the “Parliament-2015" coalition, Vugar Bayramov, in turn, noted that the process of nomination and registration of candidates was organized in accordance with relevant laws and candidates did not faced with obstacles during the campaign of collection of signatures.
The Press Council of Azerbaijani will monitor the coverage of the parliamentary elections by journalists. To this end, board members of the Press Council will become familiar with the conditions created for journalists in the regions of the country. Employees of the central and regional mass media outlets, who are members of the Press Council, are involved in this work. The monitoring will cover the vast majority of constituencies.
Also, the Press Council will create hot line on Election Day, which can be reached at (012) 441 35 96, (012) 441 35 30 and mobile numbers (050) 534 93 26 and (055) 201 99 26.
Roughly 5.2 million Azerbaijani citizens, who enjoy the right to vote, will come to polling stations on November 1 to elect their representatives to the supreme legislative body of the country.
Voting preparations will begin at 7:30 a.m. on November 1 in polling stations in Azerbaijan in accordance with the timetable.
Chairmen of the electoral commissions will declare polling stations open and the ballot boxes will be sealed at 7:50 a.m.
They will also announce the commencement of voting at 08:00 a.m. and the completion of the voting process at 7:00 p.m.
Information on the progress and results of the voting will be provided by the Information Center of the Secretariat of the CEC during the day at 10.00 a.m., 12.00 a.m., 3.00 p.m., 5.00 p.m. and 7.00 p.m.
The CEC has established 5,415 permanent and 132 temporary polling stations.
This year, 769 candidates - the representatives of 15 political parties and one bloc of parties, representing seven parties - will compete for seats in Azerbaijan's Parliament.
The time allotted for candidates to conduct their campaigns will end on October 31.
According to the Azerbaijani parliament’s schedule, the candidates’ campaigns will wrap up that day at 08:00 a.m. This, October 31 will be silence day before the Election Day.
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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova
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