On Sunday, snap parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan where 990 candidates competed for 125 seats. In comparison with previous elections, this one was observed by fewer international organizations. The OSCE Election observation mission criticized the electoral process.
Due to the ongoing crackdown on independent media and civil society by the government, the number of journalists covering the election was even lower.
But, pressure and obstacles were more than ever.
What else happened on election day?
According to the law, the election on September 1 began at 8:00 AM Baku time and continued until 7:00 PM. According to the Central Election Commission, 6.4 million Azerbaijani citizens were eligible to vote.
The government described the election as “the first election held in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation.”
In total, 25 political parties, which were registered in the country, participated except the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (AXCP). The party which boycotted the election, citing the “lack of conditions for a free and fair” election.
How did independent media and organizations monitor the elections?
Since November 2023, over 20 journalists and numerous activists have been arrested in Azerbaijan following a government crackdown on independent media and activists. Among them is also Anar Mammadli, the head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center, the NGO which has been working towards the holding of free and fair elections and the development of civil society and democracy.
Despite these challenges, the few remaining independent media outlets and journalists in the country, as well as those operating in exile, monitored the election process and reported on violations. Alongside journalists, authorized representatives and observers of independent candidates also identified and publicized electoral violations.
As in the snap presidential elections, Mikroskop Media monitored this election through the web cameras installed by the Central Election Commission at polling stations.
What violations were uncovered?
Although the Central Election Commission (CEC) claimed that the observation cameras installed at polling stations were intended to ensure transparency, various media outlets reported issues with these cameras throughout the day. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Azerbaijani service, the cameras did not provide a clear view of the ballot boxes.
Mikroskop Media reported that in some polling stations, the cameras were improperly positioned, making it difficult to observe the proceedings effectively. Both media outlets and election-monitoring activists noted several instances where the cameras temporarily stopped functioning. During these periods, it was suspected that ballot stuffing occurred.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Azerbaijani service identified violations in at least 10 different polling stations across various districts, including:
– Observers were isolated from the election process.
– Two voters entered the voting booth at the same time.
– “Carousel” voting operations were detected.
– Frequent disruptions occurred in the webcams.
– Ballot stuffing was observed.
– The same voter cast ballots at two different polling stations.
Mikroskop Media, through online observation cameras, identified violations in at least four polling stations, including:
– A voter gets a ballot without presenting an ID card.
– A polling station member stuffed multiple ballots into the ballot box.
Meydan TV journalists discovered “carousel” voting operations in several polling stations and documented instances of pressure and threats against observers in various locations.
What pressures were faced?
In the 70th Neftchala electoral district, independent candidate Vafa Naghi’s authorized representative Qiyas Ibrahim was attacked. While observing the vote-counting process, Ibrahim was forcibly removed from the polling station by its members.
Additionally, there was an incident between Vafa Naghi and her opponent Tanzila Rustamkhanli’s authorized representative, Huseyn Gurbanov. Following this, both Vafa Naghi and a Meydan TV journalist who was covering the incident were subjected to violence by local Election Commission members.
A BBC Azeri service’s journalist also faced threats while interviewing a candidate’s observer at one of the polling stations. The observer threatened to forcibly remove the journalist from the station and indicated the possibility of physical violence.
What did the OSCE say?
At a press conference held in Baku on Monday, the OSCE observation mission shared its preliminary assessment of the election and criticized the electoral process.
“These elections took place in a restrictive political and legal environment, the consequence of which was a lack of political pluralism coupled with the subdued and low-key campaign, all of which undermined the electoral process,” said Michael Creed, Special Coordinator and leader of the OSCE short-term observers.
