CIS EXPERTS TO MONITOR ELECTIONS IN KAZAKHSTAN AND AZERBAIJAN

RIA Novosti
16:22 | 31/ 08/ 2005

MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti) – Experts from the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS), the loose union of countries that succeeded
the Soviet Union, will monitor presidential elections in the Central
Asian republic of Kazakhstan and parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan,
in the Caucasus.

Elections in Azerbaijan will take place on November 6, Vladimir
Rushailo, CIS Executive Committee chairman and Russian Emergencies
Minister, said Wednesday. The Executive Committee will start forming
a mission shortly. “We intend to monitor election campaigns in all 125
of the constituencies in Azerbaijan,” he said. “We expect MPs, members
of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, members of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Russian-Belarusian Union, and officials from the
Central Election Commissions to take part in the monitoring,” he said.

Rushailo said the Armenian parliament was expected to set the date
for a referendum on amendments to the constitution and to invite CIS
experts to monitor it.

Presidential elections in Kazakhstan will take place in December.