EP CONCERNED OVER LACK OF COMPETITION IN AZERI PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.10.2008 16:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A six Member delegation of the European Parliament,
led by Mrs Marie Anne Isler Béguin, Verts/ALE, France, Co-Chair of
the South Caucasus Joint Parliamentary Committee, and composed of Mr
Arpad Duka-Zolyomi, (EPP-ED, Slovakia), Mr Alojz Peterle, (EPP-ED,
Slovenia), Mr Evgeni Kirilov, (PES, Bulgaria), Mr Robert Evans,
(PSE, UK), Mr Adam Bielan, (UEN, Poland), observed the Presidential
elections in Azerbaijan, which took place on 15 October 2008.

Although 7 candidates participated in the election, the vote was
uncontested. There was almost no electoral campaign and the major
opposition parties boycotted the election, citing longstanding
obstacles to the equal opportunities.

Incumbent President, I. Aliyev won the elections with more than 80%
of the votes. The turnout was over 75%.

During Election Day, the Delegation witnessed the considerable progress
of Azerbaijan towards meeting international standards and electoral
commitments of the country, despite a number of remaining shortcomings,
namely with regard to the overall media environment and the counting
of votes.

After the election, a joint "Statement of Preliminary Findings and
Conclusions", and a joint Press release were adopted together with
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and
Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE).

In the ensuing joint press conference the Chair of the EP Delegation,
Mrs Marie Anne Isler Béguin, stated: "According to our observations
on Election Day, the election was well prepared and largely carried
out smoothly. However, we deplore the lack of genuine competition,
due to the boycott by major opposition parties and the absence of a
real campaign".

Without any doubt, the participation of Azerbaijan in the European
Neighborhood Policy has contributed significantly to the country’s
progress towards meeting the standards and obligations of full
democracy and the rule of law.

–Boundary_(ID_2Fp+Racgl7kp4ugjx4ZIYg)–