Politics 13:56 31/10/2015

International media say right to free and fair election to be violated in Azerbaijan as always

Azerbaijan votes for a new parliament on Sunday in elections shunned by European observers for the first time since independence in 1991, Bloomberg http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-29/azeris-vote-for-parliament-as-aliyev-cracks-down-amid-oil-slump writes.

President Ilham Aliyev’s New Azerbaijan Party, known as YAP, is set to retain its majority in Parliament as the main opposition parties boycott the vote amid a state crackdown on activists. Low oil prices mean Azerbaijan faces “an uncertain economic outlook, which could have unpredictable political and social consequences,” Alex Nice, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told Bloomberg. The slowing economy prompted the government to cut public spending, he said.

Bloomberg points that the vote takes place after Aliyev purged security officials for alleged corruption. The central bank devalued the manat by almost 35 percent against the dollar in February after oil prices fell by more than half. Relations with the U.S. and the European Union are deteriorating over human rights.

If oil prices stay low, there is a high risk the central bank will have to devalue the manat again in early 2016, which will push up inflation, eat into incomes and increase pressure on a banking industry already under strain, the EIU’s Nice said.

“Aliyev faces considerable challenges,” Laurence Broers, associate fellow for Russia and Eurasia at London’s Chatham House, told Bloomberg. “Competitive party politics and independent civil society have been so de-institutionalised, the basis for effective negotiation between state and society has been significantly narrowed.”

Bloomberg further writes about the imprisoned government critics, rights defenders and journalists, including the investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova. The list of “political prisoners in Azerbaijan goes on and on,” said Isabel Santos, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s democracy and human rights chairwoman.

Azerbaijan denies having any political prisoners. It suspended talks on a strategic partnership with the EU after the European Parliament passed a resolution in September condemning an “unprecedented” government crackdown on civil society, Bloomberg writes.

Reuters  also writes about the political prisoners in Azerbaijan and about the Western governments balancing their criticism over human rights with strategic considerations and courting Azerbaijan as an alternative to Russia in supplying oil and gas to Europe.

A number of foreign journalists, including some from Reuters, were not issued with the accreditation required to cover the election. The foreign ministry cited technical difficulties. “Under these circumstances, it is impossible to hold any meaningful debate about the election or to ensure its accountability," said Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, as cited by the agency.

With the lack of interest and competition, disbelief, and long tradition of manipulated election results it is unlikely November 1st elections in Azerbaijan will bring much change. In a country where every election since 1993 was marked by fraud and lack of transparency another election is on its way, writes Arzu Geybullayeva, an Azerbaijani blogger, for Balcanicaucaso.org http://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Regions-and-countries/Azerbaijan/Lights-Camera-Action-Welcome-to-Azerbaijan-s-show-elections-165399.

“On November 1, Azerbaijanis will head to the polls to cast their votes and elect a new parliament. But do their votes really matter? Or is Azerbaijan becoming one of those countries where elections are nothing more but a show? The answers to these and many other questions on Azerbaijan’s poor record of ensuring free and fair elections aren’t difficult to find. The experience of the previous elections, both at parliamentary and presidential level, speaks for itself - election results are already determined and the 126 seats already allocated, with only a few exceptions,” writes Geybullayeva in her article, titled “Lights, Camera, Action - Welcome to Azerbaijan’s show elections.”

The European Court of Human Rights found Azerbaijan in breach of the right to free elections in the previous parliamentary elections. Ranging from irregularities in electoral process, arbitrary invalidation of election results, to ballot stuffing, carousel voting and so on, all of these are most commonly seen practices during elections in this small Caucasus country, according to the blogger.
The long tradition of violations, atmosphere of intimidation and unequal campaign time ahead of the election, leaves little hope days before the November 1 votes for any positive outcomes and improvements, Geybullayeva highlights.

Mirali Huseynov, an expert on elections in Azerbaijan says mass withdrawal from the elections is not surprising given the lack of trust in current political processes, the fair electoral procedures and election regulations. “Many of the candidates realize that the existing political and legal environment limits their opportunities to promote their political messages and work with their electorate. There is also lack of trust in having free and fair elections. After re-evaluating their situation candidates understand that they won’t be elected and they choose not to spend any further resources on these elections,” Geybullayeva cites him as saying.

Referencing the poll results on the website of the Central Election Commission, Azerbaijani website Haqqin.az reports that 8.7% of the website visitors did not find their names in the lists of the voters. Given that there are over 5 million voters in Azerbaijan, Haqqin.az points out, there are hundreds of thousands of such losses. It further highlights that the number reflects only the opinion of the visitors of the website rather than the whole electorate. Therefore, the number of those not finding their name in the voters’ lists can be much higher.

Haqqin.az also reports that only one ruling party candidate’s poster was hanging on a stand set in Baku center for MP candidates’ posters. The polling stations do not give any information when and where one can meet the MP candidates from the districts because no one has the information. 

“What does this mean? A person, who wants to fulfill their civic duty and vote for a deserving (in their opinion) candidate, faces loads of obstacles. They themselves (!) try to meet the MP candidates, find mistakes in the list and want to correct them, still they are bounced back with the words ‘come back in a week.’ In other words, an attempt is actually made to ‘stifle the civic enthusiasm in its bud’ rather than helping,” Haqqin.az stresses.

Azerbaijan’s Parliamentary elections are scheduled on 1 November 2015, where 767 candidates will struggle for the 125 seats in the one-chamber parliament. There were recent local reports about the authorities faking a growth of the number of “independent” candidates for the elections. The international agencies reportedly took up rather stern stance regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections. On 11 September 2015, Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), announced that, due to restrictions imposed by the Azerbaijani authorities, ODIHR had no choice but to cancel its mission to observe the country’s parliamentary elections. Earlier, ODIHR had reported about its intention to send 380 observers to Azerbaijan.



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:32
Opposition MP: Armenian government lacks resources to counter security threats
Opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan claims the Armenian government lacks any resources to counter the mounting security threats facing...
17:02
Putin apologizes to Aliyev over plane crash
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, for what the Kremlin said was a...
16:43
Magnitude 4.2 quake hits Georgia, felt in Armenia
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck Georgia late on Saturday afternoon. The quake was 8 km northwest of the city of Dmanisi and at a...
16:13
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan to honor fallen soldiers on New Year's Eve
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan will visit Yerevan’s Yerablur Military Pantheon to pay tribute to fallen soldiers on New Year’s Eve....
15:36
Venice, other cities ban alcohol use on New Year’s Eve
Venice has introduced a ban on alcohol consumption on New Year’s Eve as a safety measure. It joins other cities around the world that...
15:27
Armenia's museum reserves extend working hours for holidays
During the New Year holidays on 31 December 2024 and 1-2 January 2025, the Garni Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve will be open to the...
14:45
Armenian players show strong performances at World Rapid Chess Championship
The 2nd game day of the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship has ended. 4 rounds were played today, the Armenian Chess Federation...
14:24
Armenian ambassador will not return to Belarus – Sputnik Armenia
Armenia has no plans to send Ambassador Razmik Khumaryan back to Belarus, sources have told Sputnik Armenia. Khumaryan was recalled to...
14:06
Armenia sees rise in hospitalizations for acute respiratory infections
Armenia has seen an increase in hospitalizations for acute respiratory viral infections, including pneumonia, prompting calls for emergency...
13:30
Armenia's deputy sports minister may resign
Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Karen Giloyan, denies media reports suggesting that he has tendered...
13:03
Stepantsminda-Larsi road closed to trucks
The Stepantsminda-Larsi highway connecting Armenia and Russia via Georgia is currently closed to truck traffic, as reported...
12:46
FIDE disqualifies Magnus Carlsen for wearing jeans
Magnus Carlsen, the reigning world chess champion and top-ranked player, faced a disqualification from the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Chess...
12:30
MP's comments confirm Pashinyan lying about Artsakh negotiations, expert says
Political analyst Suren Surenyants has again accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of lying about the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)...
11:55
Armenian church commemorates James and John the Evangelist
The Armenian Apostolic Church on Saturday commemorates the Holy Apostle James and John the Evangelist. Both held prominent...
11:33
Heavy snow strands 35 vehicles in Armenia
Heavy snow on Friday caused 35 vehicles to get stuck on the roads in Armenia, the Rescue Service reported. The rescuers removed the...
11:12
US sanctions Georgian ex-prime minister
The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on the founder of Georgia’s ruling political party, which has steered the country away from...
17:05
Political analyst: Pashinyan not taken seriously by global community
Political analyst Stepan Danielyan claims that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is not taken seriously by the international community,...
16:35
Relatives of missing Armenian soldiers block central Yerevan avenue
Relatives of missing Armenian servicemen on Friday blocked Yerevan's central Baghramyan Avenue near the parliament...
15:51
Hayk Marutyan slams rude comments of Yerevan mayor's father
Former Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan has denounced the offensive remarks about Opel drivers made by the father of the Armenian capital’s...
15:10
New Year's Eve weather forecast revealed
Wintry showers are expected in Armenia’s regions on Friday and over the weekend. Blizzards and poor visibility are likely in some...
14:34
Armenian archbishop links protest movement’s failure to organizational issues
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of the Holy Struggle movement, pledged to continue campaigning for a change of government in Armenia,...
13:45
Yeghishe Melikyan named Armenia's best coach of 2024
Pyunik manager Yeghishe Melikyan has been named Armenia's Coach of the Year 2024 with 92 points. The Football Federation of...
13:16
Politician: Serzh Sargsyan insisted on Artsakh peace plan disclosure back in 2022
Opposition politician Eduard Sharmazanov, a senior member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), lambasted Prime Minister Nikol...
12:35
Henrikh Mkhitaryan named 2024 Footballer of the Year
Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been named Armenia's 2024 Footballer of the Year for the 12th time. He garnered 87...
12:15
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan apologizes to supporters for his movement's unmet goals
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of the Holy Struggle movement, offered apologies to the people for the protest movement’s failure...
11:35
New cyclone from the Mediterranean to bring snow to Armenia
A new cyclone from the Mediterranean Sea is expected to make landfall in Armenia on Friday, bringing snowfall to several provinces across the...
11:15
Armenia's Shant Sargsyan among leaders at World Rapid Championship
The first game day of the World Rapid Chess Championship has ended. After 5 rounds, GM Shant Sargsyan has scored 4.5 points and shares...
11:00
Over 25 countries want to take part in Intervision, Lavrov says
More than 25 nations have expressed their interest in participating in the Intervision Song Contest, including Latin American countries, Russian...
17:13
Armenian church leader's New Year message not to be aired on Public TV
The annual New Year address by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II will not be aired on the Public TV Company. The...
16:35
Expert: Artsakh leaders indicted on 1,500 counts in Azerbaijan
Artsakh’s former military and political leaders are facing charges in Azerbaijan in connection with episodes starting from 1987, Anna...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}