Baku / 09.02.20 / Turan: Parliamentary elections are held in Azerbaijan on Sunday. Citizens of the country elect 125 deputies of the Milli Majlis.
At 8.00 5,573 polling stations opened, where 5 million 329 thousand 460 voters will be able to vote.
1,314 candidates are fighting for 125 seats in parliament, of which 79 percent are men and 21 percent are women, the head of the CEC, Mazahir Panahov, said at a press conference on the morning of February 9.
In total, 2,431 people applied for participation in the elections.
Of these, 1,637 candidates were registered. However, subsequently 321 people withdrew their candidacy. The registration of two more candidates was canceled by the CEC due to the identification of dual citizenship. And thus the number of candidates was reduced to 1,314.
Among them are representatives of 19 political parties.
Most of the candidates are from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, which has 123 candidates.
Among the opposition forces, Musavat has the largest number of candidates – 64 (including both party nominees and self-nominees).
The Union of Real Republicans created by the Republican Alternative Party (does not have state registration) and a group of independent candidates has 30 candidates. The Movement block formed by the Nida and D18 movements and a group of independent activists has 16 registered candidates.
77,790 local and 883 international observers are accredited to observe the parliamentary elections.
On 1,000 sites webcams have been installed.
There is no quorum in the elections. The winner is the candidate with the highest number of votes. The voting will end at 19.00.
Preliminary data on the voting results will be announced late on February 9 through the Elections information system.
Mehman Huseynov Informs International Missions about Attempt to Bribe Him
Baku / 09.02.20 / Turan: A candidate for deputy, blogger Mehman Huseynov appealed to the observation missions of the OSCE, OSCE PA and PACE with a call to pay special attention to the elections in the 31st Surakhany second district, where he is running.
Huseynov motivates this by the fact that another candidate Faraj Guliyev tried to bribe him to withdraw the blogger’s candidacy in his favor. Huseynov also reported pressure on members of his team.
Huseynov’s appeal addressed to the OSCE special election coordinator Arthur Gerasimov, head of the OSCE PA delegation Elona Khoja-Gzhebrea, head of the PACE election observation mission Franck Schwabe, all other members of the ODIHR, PACE and OSCE PA election observation missions in particular says:
“I am Mehman Huseynov, a well-known anti-corruption blogger, human rights activist, a former political prisoner from Azerbaijan, and also a candidate for the upcoming parliamentary elections in the 31st constituency. I would like to report a case of an attempt to bribe me. I am a popular candidate in my constituency, given my professional activities and activity on social networks. Therefore, another candidate, already twice becoming a deputy from the same constituency, Faraj Guliyev offered me financial compensation in exchange for me to withdraw from the election and support him. I have evidence of this since I recorded the conversation and made it public.”
Huseynov also regrets that the members of his team, and in particular those who will observe the February 9 elections, “were threatened by the authorities with legal persecution and forms of pressure if they did not ignore possible illegal actions committed during the election this Sunday” .
Huseynov asks to send observers from these missions in order to ensure good elections, fix possible violations and ensure the safety of other observers.
Copies of the appeal were also sent to OSCE PA President Georgy Tsereteli, OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montelle, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, OSCE ODIHR Director Inhibitor Solrun Gisladottir, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Arlem Desir and the independent Azerbaijani news agency Turan.
On February 1, Huseynov released an audio recording of his conversation with Guliyev.
The latter suggested that Huseynov withdraw his candidacy in his favor, promising certain benefits, including money allegedly for treatment.
After a complaint by the blogger on February 5, the CEC limited itself to issuing a warning to Guliyev. At the same time, the head of the CEC, Mazahir Panahov, said that “this is not a final decision.” According to him, the prosecutor’s office is also investigating the incident, and the final decision will be made taking into account the results of the prosecutor’s investigation.
On February 6, the head of the press service of the prosecutor general’s office, Eldar Sultanov, wrote on his Facebook page that the blogger’s appeal was sent to the CEC “to make an appropriate decision.”
Independent lawyers unequivocally stated that Guliyev’s acts contained a corpus delicti and his candidacy should be canceled.
CEC and Prosecutor’s Office “Kick off” Mehman Huseynov’s Complaint about Attempt to Bribe Him
Baku / 08.02.20 / Turan: Neither the CEC nor the prosecutor’s office took any measures in connection with the audio recording made public by the candidate for deputies in the 31st Surakhany second district, on which his rival Faraj Guliyev offered him money.
Guliyev suggested that Huseynov withdraw his candidacy in his favor, promising certain benefits, including money allegedly for treatment.
After the blogger complained on February 5, the CEC limited itself to issuing a warning to Faraj Guliyev. At the same time, the head of the CEC, Mazahir Panahov, said that “this is not a final decision.” According to him, the prosecutor’s office is also investigating the incident, and the final decision will be made taking into account the results of the prosecutor’s investigation.
On February 6, the head of the press service of the prosecutor general’s office, Eldar Sultanov, wrote on his Facebook page that the blogger’s appeal was sent to the CEC “to make an appropriate decision.”
Independent lawyers unequivocally stated that Guliyev’s acts contained a corpus delicti and his candidacy should be eliminated.
