BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The parliamentary election in Azerbaijan is being held openly and transparently, the Head of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) observer mission, SCO Deputy Secretary-General Nuran Niyazaliyev, who visited polling stations to observe the voting process at the parliamentary election center, told Trend.
According to him, the SCO observer mission continues its work at the parliamentary election in Azerbaijan upon the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The head of the 16-member mission, including representatives of parliamentarians, state bodies, electoral institutions, diplomats, and staff of the SCO secretariat, noted the high level of preparation of polling stations.
“SCO observers have been monitoring the readiness for voting and the work of polling station commissions for several days now. All polling stations are equipped with the necessary equipment and the commissions are fully prepared to hold the elections. On the eve of the voting day, the organization of the process complied with the legislation of Azerbaijan, ensuring transparency and fairness of the election,” he said.
Niyazaliyev pointed out that on election day, SCO representatives visited more than a dozen polling stations and recorded a quiet and friendly atmosphere.
“Citizens actively participate in voting, having full freedom to choose candidates. No instances of coercion or pressure on voters have been recorded. Voting is open and transparent, with the presence of a large number of international observers, representatives of political parties, and local non-governmental organizations,” he added.
The head of the mission stressed the high organization of the work of members of precinct commissions, and their readiness to interact with observers and provide assistance to voters.
“The SCO observers, adhering to the principles of neutrality and impartiality, will continue their work until the completion of the vote counting process. The results of the observation will be announced at a press conference, as well as in an official statement to be sent to the SCO headquarters. So far, no violations have been detected during the voting, which testifies to the stability and organization of the electoral process in Azerbaijan,” he concluded.
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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