PACE PRESIDENT:"FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS ARE THE BASIC CONDITION OF DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT"

ABHaber, Belgium
EU-Turkey News Network
July 9 2007

Free and fair elections are the basic condition of democratic
development, says PACE President in Baku

Lasting prosperity and sustainable development are not possible
without respecting the fundamental values of democracy, human rights
and the rule of law, declared Rene van der Linden, President of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, at the end of his
visit to Azerbaijan on 8-9 July 2007.

The President stressed, in particular, the importance of free and
fair elections which are the basis of every democratic system.

Therefore it is of the utmost importance that the 2008 presidential
elections take place in accordance with Council of Europe (CoE)
standards and mark a striking difference with the 2005 parliamentary
elections.

Mr van der Linden urged the authorities to intensify cooperation with
the CoE in order to improve election legislation, in particular as
regards the composition and functioning of electoral commissions and
the rights of observers.

Freedom of demonstration, of the media, unrestricted functioning
of political parties and independent justice are the pillars of
democracy, underlined Mr van der Linden. The authorities must very
seriously examine concerns over existing problems in this area and
take the necessary measures to comply with CoE standards.

Particular attention must be given to the cases of journalists in
prison and other persons allegedly imprisoned for political reasons.

Those which are in bad health should be released on humanitarian
grounds.

In Resolution 1416 (2005), the Assembly stated that "considerable
parts of the territory of Azerbaijan are still occupied by Armenian
forces". Regrettably, this situation has not changed since my last
visit in 2005, said the PACE President. Political leaders on both
sides must show determination to give a new political impetus to the
negotiations. In any case, Armenia and Azerbaijan must respect their
commitment taken upon accession to the CoE to use only peaceful means
for settling the conflict.

The Assembly contributes to democratic reform in Azerbaijan through
its monitoring procedure, which is a privileged tool of assistance
and dialogue between PACE and the authorities of Azerbaijan, concluded
Mr van der Linden.

The visit to Azerbaijan was the last part of PACE President’s trip to
the South Caucasus, during which he also visited Armenia and Georgia.