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Voting for Presidential Elections Commences in Azerbaijan

Politics Materials 15 October 2008 08:00 (UTC +04:00)
Voting for Presidential Elections Commences in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 15 October /corr. Trend J.Babayeva / Voting commenced in Azerbaijan with regards to the Presidential elections.

The voting commenced today - 15 October at 8:00 a.m. in the morning and will complete at 19:00 p.m.

The initial data regarding the process of voting and the participation of electors in the voting will be presented five times during the day (at 10:00, 12:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 19:00). This will be carried out by the Elections Information Center that acts under the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan (CEC). But the data on the total protocols of district and divisional election commissions regarding the results of voting will be placed on the Internet site of Elections Information Center from the Elections Day. Initial election results will be placed on the Internet site of the CEC immediately after district election commissions present the protocols in the form generalized table on election districts.

According to the Electoral Code, the Central Election Commission should complete the presidential elections not later than ten days from Election Day and submit to the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan for approval of the results in accordance with article 102 of the Constitutions.The decision of the Constitutional Court is final. According to the part 2 of article 101 of the Constitution, if the Presidential candidate collects more than half of the electorate, who participated in the voting, he/she shall be considered as the elected President of the Azerbaijan Republic. The protocol on the results of the Presidential elections shall be published within 24 hours after signing.

According to the article 103 of the Constitution, the inauguration of the person being elected as the President shall take place within three days from the day of Constitutional Court's official declaration of the data regarding the results of the Presidential elections. From the day of inauguration, the President of the Azerbaijan Republic obtains monthly wages totaling AZN 15,000.

The presidential elections in Azerbaijan will be held on 15 October. Seven candidates will take part in the elections, including Ilham Aliyev, chairman of ruling New Azerbaijan Party; Igbal Agazade, chairman of opposition Umid (Hope) Party; Fazil Gazanfaroglu, chairman of Great Establishment Party; Gudrat Hasanguliyev, chairman of Unified Popular Front Party; Hafiz Hajiyev, chairman of Muasir Musavat Party; Fuad Aliyev, chairman of Liberal Democrat Party and independent candidate Gulamhuseyn Alibayli.

At early September, parties included in Azadlig bloc the (the Popular Front Party, the Liberal Party and the Citizen and Development), the Musavat Party and the Public Forum 'For Azerbaijan'  signed a joint statement on recognition of the presidential elections to be held on 15 October as illegitimate. Government to be formed after the presidential elections, are announced as illegitimate in the statement.

The Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan registered 4,834,584 voters. The election lists, devised last year, registered more than 4.6mln voters. Some 52 percent of voters is woman, 48 - man.

In connection with the Presidential elections, the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan established 5,359 polling stations, with 5,148 - constant, 33 - embassy, consulate and constant representations of Azerbaijan abroad.

Web cameras were established in 500 polling stations of Azerbaijan. They cover ten percent of the total number of polling stations. Nearly 1,233 international observers from 60 countries will observe the elections in Azerbaijan. The largest missions registered by the Central Election Commission are from the Council of Europe, OSCE and CIS.

Four Azerbaijani NGOs - Association of Assistance to Civil Society Development in Azerbaijan, ELS Independent Center for Search, Center for Independent Consultation and Assistance and RAY Monitoring Center will hold exit-poll.

The CEC registered 2,672 local observers. Election districts registered 43,100 observers, with 21,520 from political parties, 15,722 - NGOs, and 5,802 - independent observers.

The Presidential elections will be covered by 27 foreign media outlets, including Reuters, AP, TRT, Vesti, NTV, ITAR-TASS, Anadolu, Frans-Press, Liberty Radio, newspapers of El Pais and Russian gazeta, televisions of СТВ, Rustavi-2, Mir.

The correspondent can be contacted at - [email protected]

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