Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 9
Trend:
The time-frame for election campaigning is shorter in a number of European countries than in Azerbaijan, head of the election headquarters of the Association for Civil Society Development, Maharram Zulfugarli, said at a press conference in Baku Feb. 9.
The Association’s election headquarters has a long-term observation mission to support the democratic and transparent conduct of the presidential election, to be held on April 11.
Zulfugarli noted that the for this purpose, the Association launched a large-scale activity related to appeals to the Central Election Commission (CEC), a campaign to collect signatures and registration procedures, electoral lists, offenses related to the electoral process, election-related complaints, the legislative framework for elections, the political situation in the country on the eve of election, the activities of the CEC, the OIC, monitoring of the media in connection with the election, campaigning, monitoring the voting day.
He said that the election headquarters began its activity on Feb. 5, 2018.
Media monitoring covers pro-government, pro-opposition and independent eight newspapers, two news agencies, said Zulfugarli.
“Seminars and training for observers will be held in districts from February 16 to April 10. Interim report on long-term monitoring will be presented to the public on April 6, 2018,” he added.
Zulfugarli also touched upon the issue of boycotting the presidential election by some opposition organizations, adding that in fact, it is not a boycott, but non-participation in the election.
The sixth congress of the New Azerbaijan Party was held on Feb 8. The decision on nominating the party’s Chairman and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for presidential election to be held on April 11, 2018, was adopted unanimously at the congress.