Editor's note.: new expressions were added
Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 25 /Trend, E.Ostapenko/
The Venice Commission has identified some problems in the electoral legislation of Azerbaijan, but this should not affect the honest and transparent conducting of the upcoming elections," said Secretary of the Commission Thomas Markert.
"Now, on the eve of the elections, it is not moment to put forward proposals to rectify some points of law. It needs to efficiently use the existing legislation to ensure a fair outcome of the elections," Markert briefed Azerbaijani media outlets on Saturday in Baku.
He said after the November elections, there would be enough opportunities to consider the gaps in the Azerbaijani election law and jointly work on correcting them.
The parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan are scheduled for November 7, 2010. Previous parliamentary elections were held in November 2005. Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan are held by the majority system in 125 constituencies.
According to Markert, the current visit of the Venice Commission is too short to provide a clear assessment. Now it is possible to talk only about the pre-election situation. However, according to information which the representatives of the Venice Commission have received during meetings with the members of the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan, the pre-election situation in the country is quite positive.
"Practically all the political parties and blocs participate in the elections, said Markert. There is no need to boycott the elections."
The Venice Commission will make the final assessment on the level of compliance of the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan with the international standards in its report at the end of the electoral process.
On Saturday, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan hosted an international conference on parliamentary elections in the country. The conference was attended by the delegates of the Venice Commission, including the chairman of the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria Evgeni Tanchev, expert Sergio Kalchenko and Secretary of the Commission Thomas Markert.