Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend S.Ilhamgizi / Political parties may make their proposals regarding additions and amendments to the Electoral Code of Azerbaijan during the discussions which will take place in Baku with the participation of the experts of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, the heads of several opposition parties informed Trend.
The representative of the Venice Commission, Sergey Kuznetsov, reported to Trend that the meeting in Baku scheduled for the end of October will bring together the heads of political parties who participated in the 2005 parliamentary elections.
The Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan has been established from the deputies who form a majority and minority in the parliament and non-party deputies. Each group includes six parliamentarians. The CEC comprises of 18 people. The members of the CEC have their members in the district elections commissions and members of the district elections commissions have their members in the polling stations.
According to the Head of the Social-Political Department of Azerbaijan President's Executive Apparat, Ali Hasanov, it is the most optimistic and fairest option of forming the CEC. He considers it unrealistic to form commissions on a parity base. According to Hasanov, majority of the population are not involved in any political organizations and their representatives also should join the election commissions.
The Deputy Executive Secretary of New Azerbaijan Party, Mubariz Gurbanli, said that forming the election commissions on the basis of the existing principles is the most accurate way for democratic elections. According to Gurbanli, this format justified itself during previous elections.
Azadlyg bloc unites three opposition parties, Popular Front, Liberal and Civil and Development Parties, proposes to form election commissions from the parties received more than 1% from the total number of votes as a result of the latest parliamentary elections in 2005.
The bloc suggests the commission should include the ruling New Azerbaijan party, Popular Front Party, Democratic Party, Azerbaijani National Independent Party, Liberal Party, Social Democratic Party and Musavat. It means that opposition parties will take more places in the commission.
Musavat agrees with the proposal of the Azadlyg bloc, but does not believe it to be realistic. The head of the Central Executive Administration of the Party, Arif Hajili, does not believe that the authorities accept the proposal. Musavat offers to divide the places equally between the authorities and the opposition. According to Hajili, the Party is against including into the composition of the commission of non-party and representatives of NGOs.
If representatives of NGOs to be represented in the election commissions the authorities will use them to their own political interests, representative of Musavat believes.
The Chairman of the opposition of Umid Party (Hope), Igbal Agazadeh, also proposes to form the Central Election Commission from an equal number of representatives of the authorities and the opposition.
According to the Chairman of the opposition Adalat Party, Ilyas Ismaylov, the election commissions should include professional people who are of fair and loyal characters and independent of his political ideas.
The opposition Great Establishment Party proposes to cancel the Central Election Commissions. The elections should be held by the Interior Ministry under the control of the OSCE. The Chairman of the Party, Fazil Gazanfarolu, said that the Central Election Committee had no power, however the Interior Ministry had.
A range of Azerbaijani NGOs consider that election commissions should consist completely of non-party representative organizations. Otherwise, according to Eldar Ismaylov, the Chairman of the Civil Society Party, the Azerbaijani authorities and opposition will try to form an election commission within their own political interests.