“Today the people of Azerbaijan have gained an historic opportunity to hold democratic and free parliamentary elections,” Reno Harnish, the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, told journalists on Sunday (6 November) as a result of his visit to the polling stations in Baku, Trend reports.
“The US government did everything it can to help in organizing open, fair, and democratic elections, however, the United States cannot make a choice instead of Azerbaijan,” the diplomat said. Washington helped both in organization of exit poll and timely provision of polling stations with the ink.
Harnish noted that over the past few months they had observed positive and negative milestones, while it would not be right to make premature conclusions.
The Ambassador said that the estimation of the elections in Azerbaijan should not be based on the results of monitoring of the results of polls. “The estimation will include the monitoring of elections marathon over 8 months. It is referred both the results of monitoring by international and local observers, as well as in the pre-elections campaign,” the diplomat underlined. The diplomat stressed he together with his spouse represent only one of 40 observation groups organized by the embassy for monitoring of the polls throughout the country.
The American diplomat also noted that Washington always supported provision of free gathering in Azerbaijan, positively estimating the decision by the Azadlyg bloc not to arrange a mass action on the elections day, as well as next day of the polls.
“Representatives of Azadlyg bloc assured that they will hold an action only upon the publication of results of polls. I offer all to wait for the announcement of the results of polls, particularly the result of exit poll will be announced at 22.00pm [local time],” Harnish underlined.