October 21, 2005 - 17:24 AMT
US will Recognize Election in Azerbaijan, if Official Returns Deviate from Exit Poll 2%
«If official returns of the parliamentary election in Azerbaijan deviate from those of the exit poll 2%, the US will recognize the outcomes of the election,» stated US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Daniel Fried during his stay in Azerbaijan. Exit poll data have a forecast function and allow assessing election transparency. If exit poll returns differ from official ones significantly, the administrative resource impact - i.e. gerrymander at the election - is not ruled out.