BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10
By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:
OSCE representatives come to observe the elections held in Azerbaijan in order to exert pressure on the country every time, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Rzayev told Trend Feb. 10.
“They observe the election process, leave with positive feedback, and then express negative opinions,” the MP noted.
Rzayev was commenting on the conclusion by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the PACE long-term observation mission on the parliamentary elections held Feb. 9.
The MP said that the OSCE ODIHR and PACE have once again negatively commented on the electoral processes in Azerbaijan.
Rzayev added that PACE representatives conducted observations at a number of polling stations in Agjabadi city, and their opinion about the election was positive.
“They left with positive feedback,” MP noted. “OSCE representatives noted that the elections are held at a high level, in a transparent manner, and the voter turnout is very high. Even when at the polling station No. 10 opposition representatives claimed that the votes were counted incorrectly and that additional ballots would be cast, the chairman of the polling station created the conditions and, with the participation of OSCE representatives, the ballots were counted. After that, the OSCE representatives said they were very satisfied.”
Rzayev said that this organization doesn’t treat Azerbaijan fairly, and it is clear that this mission serves completely different purposes.
“It is obvious that such organizations, by exerting pressure on Azerbaijan, intend to get what they want,” the Azerbaijani MP noted. “The intentions aimed to hinder the strategic course of Azerbaijan’s development stand behind this pressure, but they won’t succeed.”
Noting that the organizations conducting exit polls announced their results in connection with the elections, Rzayev added that there were no interventions in the election process and the elections in Azerbaijan were held in accordance with international requirements, which, in turn, was noted by international observers.
The parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan Feb. 9.