Azerbaijan’s CEC head addresses OSCE observers ahead of snap parliamentary polls

Mazahir Panahov, Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan, delivered remarks to observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

During a recent CEC meeting, Panahov emphasized that if any shortcomings are not reported, they will be assumed non-existent, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The upcoming extraordinary parliamentary elections have drawn considerable international attention, with 267 observers from 29 organizations and 46 countries registered to monitor the process.

In anticipation of the elections, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry released a list of invited international organizations, including the OSCE ODIHR, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), GUAM, the Non-Aligned Movement’s Youth Network, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and the Organisation of Turkic States.

Additionally, the Azerbaijani parliament extended invitations to 13 other international organizations, such as the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS, and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries (TURKPA).

The snap elections were set in motion following an order signed by President Ilham Aliyev on June 28, which dissolved the Milli Majlis of the sixth convocation. The elections are scheduled to take place on September 1, 2024. The previous parliament, which was dissolved as part of this process, represented the sixth legislature since Azerbaijan gained independence in 1991, with the first parliamentary elections being held in 1995.

Azerbaijan’s electoral process typically sees parliamentary members elected for five-year terms via a majority electoral system. However, a constitutional amendment in 2016 permits shortened terms for deputies elected in snap elections, with subsequent elections planned for the first Sunday in November five years later.