“Although the general climate was calm, open and friendly the delegation of Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the CE observed a number of serious irregularities the nature of which could prejudice the electoral process”, said the Head of the delegation Vim Van Geldera, who monitored elections about in 80 polling stations. (20 DEC 2004)
PACE Mission concerned
“Although the general climate was calm, open and friendly the delegation of Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the CE observed a number of serious irregularities the nature of which could prejudice the electoral process. This is the opinion of the Head of the delegation Vim Van Geldera.The Congress visited around 80 polling stations. Among the irregularities :
– the accuracy of the Voter list was a serious concern;
– frequently inattention to procedural details was observed;
– mismatch between signatures registered on the voting list and votes found in the ballot box, multiple voting;
– misuse of mobile voting box;
– family voting , multiple similar signatures on the Voters lists
In on eof the stations with total number of electors 252 people were found 592 bulletins.
The Head of the delegation did not answer the question if the elections should be treated as free, fair and democratic. “In some areas democratic principles should be further encouraged”, he said.
However, he condemned boycott of elections by a number of opposition parties. According to him, in conformity with the standards of the CE the political forces should not refuse from participation in the elections. He said that the Congress will prepare and distribute a provisional report on the elections after the official results are published in February 2005.
US ambassador points out violations in municipal election
The US ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish was among the 128 international observers who monitored the Friday municipal election.
Harnish said 34 observers from the embassy monitored the process in the country, and that irregularities were reported in a ballot station of the 23rd Nasimi-Narimanov constituency.
Harnish said the US embassy observers witnessed the chairman of the polling station take 200 ballot sheets to his office.
“We want a transparent election to be held in Azerbaijan and therefore will inform the Central Election Commission chairman Mazahir Panahov of all these violations.”
The US ambassador observed the voting process in four ballot stations of the Nizami constituency. Harnish said that for the first time in Azerbaijan, exit polls were conducted in two polling stations in the Absheron district and said that he is satisfied with the course of elections there.
CIS Parliamentary Assembly chairman monitors municipal election
The municipal election was held in accordance with the Election Code of Azerbaijan and international standards, CIS Parliamentary Assembly chairman Mikhail Krotov said in a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev on Friday. He noted that he witnessed active participation and a high ethnic of voters.
Krotov said that in his meetings with ambassadors of foreign countries accredited in Baku and OSCE representatives the latter expressed a similar opinion. He added that he monitored the election in three districts of Baku.
President Aliyev said that elections to municipalities considered important for the country’s development are held in the country for the second time and mentioned that a municipal entity is currently being established.*
IFES reports no violations in municipal election
Representatives of numerous international organizations observed the municipal election in Azerbaijan on Friday.
The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) delegated two observers from its head office and two more from its Baku office, who monitored the process in several ballot stations in the Nizami and Garadagh districts of Baku, the IFES Baku office said.
The IFES observers pointed out the active participation of voters and said that they
registered no irregularities.
Opposition parties and NGOs report about violations during voting on elections to municipalities:
PNIA registers violations at several constituencies
The opposition Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan (PNIA) said on Friday it registered violations of law at several constituencies, the party’s election headquarters told AssA-Irada.
A number of voters from the Yasamal district took the matter to court, as they were not included in the list of voters. Family members of the party’s candidate for the election Sevil Jahani appealed to court for the same reason.
However, the court refused to issue a ruling, saying that it will not hear the case unless complaints are submitted by at least 15-20 people, but not by two or three individuals.
Commission members from the PFPA and Musavat Party did not come to polling stations of the Khatai, Surakhany and Nasimi district constituencies.
According to PNIA observers, despite the fact that 10 to 15 people cast their votes in each polling station of the Binagadi district constituency before 10:00 a.m., the summary provided by the constituency election commission suggested that the figure was 1,025.
The Central Election Headquarters of AMIP (National Independence party) issued press-release on violations during today’s elections to municipalities. The most characteristic violation is non-including of citizens into the lists of electors, increase of the number of voters, so-called “roundabout”, when especially prepared groups go to the election districts and vote several times.
The courts do not accept claims on non being included into the lists of voters and explain that trials on the claims of 2 or 3 people will not be held”. The facts organized delivery of voters to the election districts and how they throw the packages of bulletins to the ballot-boxes were noted in the Surakhani and Lenkoran regions.
The Elections Monitoring Cente (EMC) organized by a number of non-governmental organizations also reports about the facts of violations in the 4th Nakhchivan, 5th Shahbuz-Babek, 20th Second Narimanov, 34th and 36th Khatai districts. The EMC notes the facts of mass throwing of bulletins to the ballot boxes and ignoring the remarks of the independent observers, forcing out from of the observers from the election districts, agitation in favor of candidates from the power.
Major opposition party says municipal election is undemocratic
The participation of voters in this year’s municipal elections is bellow 5%, Gulagha Aslanli, acting chairman of the Central Election Headquarters of the leading opposition Musavat Party, told AssA-Irada.
Aslanli said that only 2 out of 1,348 people cast their votes at a polling station in the Yasamal district constituency before noon. There were instances of ballot stuffing in the presence of the election commission members before international observers arrived the station, he said.
“When we wanted to interfere, they [the commission members] told us that our party had boycotted the elections and we had come to the polling station in vain,” Aslanli said.
Aslanli noted that similar cases were observed at the Binagadi district constituency and called the municipal election undemocratic.*
Liberal Party indicates irregularities at polling stations
Observers from the Azerbaijan Liberal Party, more than 1,000 candidates of which ran for the municipal elections, indicated the lack of favorable conditions for them to monitor the process.
Deputy chairman of the party on election issues Elman Mammadzada says that observers had to monitor the election at a polling station in the Sumgayit city, which far from the voters.
Mammadzada regarded this as violation of law, saying that chairman of the polling stations in the Shusha, Fuzuli, Khojaly and Khohavand constituency, who is also director of a secondary school in Fuzuli District, allegedly forced school teachers to throw several ballot sheets into the ballot box at a time.
The Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA-reformers) did not observe the election.
NGOs continue to report about violations
Throughout the day, the Coordinating Advisory Council “For Free and Fair Elections”, which includes dozens of NGOs and politcal parties for election monitpring, received up-to-date information from independent election observers in the PECs cooperating with the Advisory Council during the Election Day. The Advisory Council receives regular data from the observers and after analyzing, disseminates information in the form of press-releases. Coordination Board of the non-governmental organizations “For free and fair elections” issued press-release about violations of law during the elections to the municipalities. In particular, in the election districts
in Narimanov, Balaken and Saatli districts the ballot boxes were filled by the members of the election commissions. Mass throwing of the bulletins into the ballot boxes in favor of candidates occurs everywhere.
