OSCE/ODIHR observation mission will not give interim assessment of Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan

The OSCE/ODIHR observation mission for the early elections to the Milli Majlis on September 1 today announced the start of its activities.

As its head, the representative of Albania, Ditmir Bushati, said at a press conference that the mission includes 11 experts in the field of elections, law, media, etc., as well as 28 long-term observers who will start working in the regions of Azerbaijan from August 8.

On the eve of the voting day, 280 more short-term observers will arrive in Azerbaijan. Besides, a group led by a special coordinator and a head of a short-term mission from the OSCE will be sent to the elections.

Note that the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission will monitor all aspects of the election campaign, including the work of election administrations at all levels, election legislation and its implementation, respect for fundamental freedoms, election coverage on media and social platforms, as well as resolution of election disputes.

Also, the observers will also assess the status of implementation of previous ODIHR recommendations. The mission will hold meetings with representatives of government agencies, political parties, civil society, media, international organizations and stakeholders.

Bushati added that he had held meetings with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Central Election Commission and hoped that “this cooperation will continue.” 

The mission will assess the conduct of the elections for compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation.

The day after the elections, a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions will be presented at a press conference. A final report with an assessment of the entire election process and containing recommendations will be published some months after the elections.

Unlike previous election commissions, this time the OSCE/ODIHR does not plan to announce an interim report. This means that the mission will avoid campaign assessments until end of the elections.

In general, the head of the mission was very careful in his statements. So, answering the question “is there any point in monitoring elections in Azerbaijan if the government fails to comply with the previous recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR? Bushati replied that the mission was deployed at the invitation of the Azerbaijani government and each OSCE country has obligations to invite ODIHR observers. “We do not interfere in the election process, we do not support anyone. We are observing and evaluating the process itself,” Bushati said.

A question arises: “How will the non-invitation of the PACE observation mission by the government affect the transparency of the elections?” ” Responding to this question, Bushati declined to comment it as saying that he was authorized to speak only for the ODIHR observation mission. He pointed out that the ODIHR is ready to cooperate as much as possible with other observer missions, but it will evaluate the elections based on its own principles, standards and criteria. He also refrained from assessing the issue of “election competitiveness”, repeating that a preliminary assessment of the elections, including this aspect, will be given on September 2.