Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. К.Ramazanova / Political parties of Azerbaijan, which took part at the Parliamentary elections in 2005, will be invited to attend discussions of the Election Code, Sergey Kuznetsov, the representative of the Venice Commission, said on 18 September.
Adalat, Civil Solidarity, Ana Vatan, Great Establishment, Civil Unity, Social Welfare, New Azerbaijan parties participated at the latest parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. Musavat, Popular Front Party and Liberal Party and Democratic Party of Azerbaijan represented Azadlig bloc at the elections.
The discussions concerning the improvement of the Election Code of Azerbaijan has been carried out at the initiative of the Azerbaijan Government. Representatives of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, OSCE and representatives of Azerbaijan took part in the discussions.
Parties will be invited to participate at the meeting planned by the Venice Commission in Baku in October, Kuznetsov said.
Azadlig bloc submitted a set of proposals to the Venice Commission to introduce changes and supplements into the Azerbaijani Election Commission. The proposals envisaged the issues concerning the formation of a new composition of election commissions on an equal basis. Bloc's proposals were submitted to the rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Azerbaijan, Andrea Herkel and Tony Lloyd for their consideration.
The Azerbaijani Government is not agreeable to form the composition of election commissions on a parity base. Presently, it is impossible to form a composition of election commissions on a parity basis in Azerbaijan, the head of the public political department of the Azerbaijani President Executive Administration, said on 18 September. There are people who do not attend elections; however, they do have equal rights with politicians.
Safa Mirzoyev, the head of the Azerbaijani Parliament, said that the changes which are planned to be introduced in the Election Code would be discussed at the meeting in Baku.
Earlier, representatives of the Venice Commission stated that most people in Azerbaijan complained about the elections process in its inefficiency to consider the appeals. Azerbaijan believes that the appeals should be considered by special commissions united by lawyers, Mirzoyev said.