BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The "For Civil Society" Election Observation Coalition is monitoring the voting process with over 500 observers deployed across 75 electoral districts, including the territories liberated from occupation—Zangilan, Fizuli, Lachin, Khankendi, Khojaly, and Shusha, Trend reports.
Nadir Ismailov, an observer from the coalition at polling station No. 46 in the Shusha-Aghdam-Khojavendi electoral district No. 124 in Shusha city, reported that the installation and sealing of ballot boxes were conducted in accordance with legal requirements before the polling station opened.
“The voting booths meet both international and national standards, ensuring secret voting. The technical equipment is compliant with electoral legislation,” he said.
Fariz Akberov, another observer from the coalition at polling station No. 105 in Lachin constituency No. 121, noted that the voting process is proceeding smoothly.
“Portable ballot boxes are available for sick and elderly citizens. The process adheres to the Electoral Code with no unauthorized interference. Voter activity is high,” he emphasized.
This year, over 5,500 observers from civil society and NGOs have been registered to monitor the parliamentary elections, a record number compared to previous elections. These observers represent 16 civil society organizations, marking a sevenfold increase from the 2015 parliament election and a fourfold increase from the 2020 parliamentary election.
Two electoral coalitions have been established for monitoring the election. The “For Civil Society” coalition was founded by Zaur İbrahimli. Head of the “Priority” Socio-Economic Research Center; Ramil Iskendarli, Chairman of the Legal Analysis and Research Public Union; and Vugar Tofigli, Chairman of the "Propaganda of Municipalities' Activities" public association.
The “My Voice” Election Monitoring Coalition was established by prominent human rights activists: Novella Jafaroglu, chairwoman of the “D. Aliyeva Society for the Protection of Azerbaijani Women's Rights” public association; Saadet Bananyarli, chairwoman of the Azerbaijan National Branch of the International Society for Human Rights; and Saida Gojamanli, chairwoman of the Protection of Human Rights and Rule of Law Public Union.
Of the NGO representatives observing polling stations on election day, 20 percent are from these two coalitions.
On June 28, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree dissolving the sixth convocation of the Azerbaijani Parliament and scheduling the extraordinary election for September 1.
Azerbaijan has 6,421,960 registered voters, including 374 who turned 18 on the election day. There are 6,478 polling stations, comprising 6,343 permanent and 135 temporary locations.
In the territories liberated from occupation, 54 permanent polling stations are set up. There are 10 electoral districts for internally displaced persons (IDPs), with 574 IDP polling stations serving 397,862 voters. More than 42,000 voters will cast their ballots in the liberated areas.
A total of 51,141 voters will participate for the first time in the extraordinary parliamentary election. The oldest female voter is 134 years old, and the oldest voter is 109 years old.
Exit polls will be conducted at approximately 2,500 polling stations. Three international organizations are registered to carry out these polls: the Citizens' Labor Rights Protection League, together with Oracle Advisory Group (US), and the "Tereggi" Public Association for Social Research, in collaboration with the Italian SWG S.p.A. research company.
A total of 112,749 local observers have been registered, including over 65,000 representatives of political parties. There are 598 international observers from 51 organizations and 69 countries, including 227 from OSCE/ODIHR and 61 from OSCE PA.
Among the 990 registered candidates, 305 represent 25 political parties, while 371 are party members but were not nominated by their parties. In total, 676 candidates are affiliated with political parties.
Webcams have been installed at 1,000 polling stations nationwide to allow direct and continuous observation of the voting process without requiring registration.
Portable ballot boxes will be used across all polling stations for the parliamentary election on September 1.
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