If a report by the Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutes and Human Rights (ODIHR) was developed several days later, its content would be different. The critical milestones put in the document have already lost their actually upon the signing of a presidential decree on 25 October, Ali Hassanov, the head of the Public and Political Department of the President’s Executive Power, told Trend.
In respect to the last report by the Venice Commission and the OSCE ODIHR, he noted that the document reflects the situation existing in Azerbaijan as of 21 October 2005. Thus, the report was prepared until the issue of decree on �Urgent actions concerning development and organization of elections at the parliament’ by President Ilham Aliyev on 25 October. So, the report contains numerous critical milestones to county’s address.
According to Hassanov, the international organizations long demanded the application of inking of voters’ fingers, as well as removal of a ban on participation of non-governmental organizations with 30% share of foreign physical and legal entities in its statutory capital in the poll as observers.
Hassanov noted that the issues had been already resolved in the country. “During the last visit to Azerbaijan Terry Davis, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, also noted the importance of two milestones. However, along with these issues the presidential decree also reflects others which caused significant liberalization of both elections legislation and technical procedures of elections,” Hassanov underlined.
He noted that some milestones in the report excited doubts. Hassanov voiced his protest in connection with the notes on refusal to candidates in the registration. No applicant appealing for registration of his candidacy was left behind the process. No one has appealed to the CEC, or the President’s Executive Power with the same complaint. Even the candidacies of Ayaz Mitallibov and Rasul Guliyev were registered. Besides, the registration of 2063 people was an unprecedented event in the history of Azerbaijan.
Hassanov did not agree with the state of a report on non-allocation of places for arrangement of mass actions. The authorities allocated places both in the capital city and in the regions for holding meetings with electors. During the pre-elections campaign the candidates have organized over 25,000 meetings, while approximately 6,000 of them fell on the opposition camp. The complaints in this respect have also lost their actuality, as the Prosecutor General’s Office, which was in charge of it publicized comments in this respect.