International observers say elections in Azerbaijan were free, transparent

BAKU, November 2. /TASS/. The parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan were free, open and competitive, said representatives of various monitoring missions and delegations who monitored preparations for the elections and the course of the voting. "The elections to Milli Majlis were held in accordance with Azerbaijan’s Constitution and Electoral Code and conformed to the generally accepted standards of democratic elections," says a statement of the CIS monitoring mission read out by Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee and Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev. The document noted that "the authorities of Azerbaijan and election commissions at all levels ensured the implementation of the right of citizens of the country to freedom of expression." "The parliamentary elections were flawless, impeccable, the irregularities were negligibly small in comparison with the enormous work carried out to prepare for the voting," head of the mission of observers of the CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly Leonid Slutsky said. The delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) likewise recognized that Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan had conformed to international standards, they were held in accordance with the country’s Electoral Code and in a calm atmosphere. Its leader Jordi Shukla said that "the elections had been transparent" and no serious irregularities had been registered. "The mission did not register any breaches of law during the pre-election process and on the day of the voting," said a statement of observers of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States. "All legal and organizational conditions for monitoring the elections were created for a wide range of social and political organizations, as well as local and foreign observers." According to preliminary data provided by the Central Election Commission, Azerbaijan’s ruling party Eni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan) won the November 1 parliamentary elections securing at least 70 seats in the 125-seat Milli Majlis. The elections were monitored by 503 international observers as well as local and foreign journalists. Read more