”The United States looks to the government of Azerbaijan “to take corrective action in those districts where impartial and transparent investigations show that irregularities and fraud affected the results,” Bruce Connuck, the chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, stated.
The United States has said it believes that the November 6 parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan showed “improvement over previous elections in some areas,” but it shares the view of international observers that the elections did not meet a number of international standards.
Noting that the government already had said it will rerun the election in at least two districts and that some cases of fraud already have been referred to the prosecutor general in Azerbaijan, he said “We expect more to be done and that the investigations, as they continue, be done impartially, thoroughly, transparently and, again, consistent with Azeri law and through Azeri institutions.” The United States is “pleased that the Government of Azerbaijan, through its Central Election Commission, is actively investigating these cases of fraud.”
Connuck noted that the United States is encouraged that opposition demonstrations in the wake of the disputed November 6 parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan to date have been peaceful, as has been the government's response. We call on the Government of Azerbaijan to ensure that voters who were victims of fraud or abuse during the election have prompt access to a fair, impartial and transparent judicial process to resolve such complaints,” he said.
“In line with normal procedure, the OSCE observation effort must continue through complaints and appeals processes. We urge the Government of Azerbaijan to invite the OSCE to observe re-runs of the elections in selected districts.”