OSCE Baku office: Low polling and some problems accompany Azerbaijan's municipal election

BAKU, 21 December 2004 - The Office in Baku today said the municipal elections held last Friday in Azerbaijan fell short of a number of international standards for democratic elections, formulated in the 1990 CSCE/OSCE Copenhagen Document.

It issued the following statement:

"On 17 December Azerbaijan held its second Municipal Elections since independence and the OSCE Office, together with the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), co-ordinated an observation effort by members of the international diplomatic community and international volunteers.

Some 40 teams were deployed, representing embassies, the OSCE Office in Baku and IFES; there was also a delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. All members received a thorough briefing beforehand and travelled throughout the country to observe the process from the opening of polling until the conclusion of the counting procedure, visiting over 200 polling stations during the day.

Severe weather conditions, with snow over much of the country and a boycott by the country's major opposition Musavat and Popular Front party groups, may have contributed to the apparent voter apathy. A turnout of generally less than 50 per cent overall and as low as 20 per cent in some municipalities was observed. However, observers noted an increase in the number of women participating in many municipalities, compared with the Presidential Election of 2003.

According to the OSCE Office in Baku, the municipal elections in Azerbaijan fell short of a number of international standards for democratic elections, formulated in the 1990 CSCE/OSCE Copenhagen Document.

Observers reported that the process was conducted in a friendly and calm atmosphere, but a significant number of irregularities were observed during voting and tabulation of election results. Many of these irregularities were serious and could have affected the outcome in the municipalities concerned. These included observed cases of ballot stuffing, protocol falsification, voter list tampering and voters being pressurised. Less serious, but common irregularities included multiple voting, pre-marking and clipping of ballots and the acceptance of inadmissible identification documents.

Elections administration was accomplished at three levels: the Central Election Commission (CEC), 124 Constituency Election Commissions (ConECs), and over 5,129 Precinct Election Commissions (PECs). Across the country, technical preparations prior to the Election were felt by the OSCE Office to have proceeded smoothly and efficiently and that the CEC has tried to provide leadership and professional guidance on election administration in Azerbaijan. However, the findings of the observers indicate a consistent pattern of non-transparent and illegal behaviour throughout the majority of locations visited and reflect a clear, significant and organised effort at the local level to undermine the work accomplished by the CEC.

Interference by representatives of local executive authorities, whether intentionally or from a desire to assist, was often observed to have played a major role in affecting the validity of the process.

The OSCE Office in Baku believes that the overwhelming complexity of the process, which involved in some cases more than 100 candidates for 19 seats, may have contributed to confusion as to the appropriate counting procedure and rendered inexperienced voters unsure of what to do.

The Office stands ready to enter into dialogue and to provide whatever assistance it can to the authorities and civil society in Azerbaijan, in an effort to address the concerns which arise from these municipal elections in order that future electoral processes may meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections."