EP concerned over lack of competition in Azeri presidential election

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.