International observers hail voter turnout in Azerbaijani presidential elections PHOTO

The members of the international observers accredited in the country hail the voter turnout in the Azerbaijani snap presidential elections being held on February 7.

Citizens of Azerbaijan are very actively voting in the election, Secretary General of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Council (CIS IPA) Dmitry Kobitsky said, secki-2024.az reports.

"It is very pleasant to observe the activity of citizens. Already right from the morning a queue has gathered at the polling stations. It is gratifying to realize that people are not indifferent to the processes taking place in the country.

We are travelling around the polling stations. This is already the second polling station for us. We plan to visit at least 15 polling stations so that the picture will be fully clear to us. We will do this throughout the day. In the evening, all observer groups will gather to summarize the results and share their impressions," Kobitsky said.

Azerbaijani citizens are determined to cast their votes for their preferred candidate, according to Edward Mwaba Ndalama, an observer from Zambia.

"We see that even on the streets people are lining up to vote. This is wonderful. We are observing unity, people are trying to cast their votes for their preferred candidate," he emphasized.

In the same vein, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Joveria Salma said that Azerbaijani citizens are actively voting in the presidential election.

"We have been here since 9 a.m. and we observe that people are coming to the streets in large numbers to vote," she emphasized.

Ahsan Hamid Durrani, Director of Pakistan's Center for Political Studies, political analyst, who came to Azerbaijan to observe the early presidential elections taking place on February 7, has said that he had observed great enthusiasm among the people.

The Pakistani observer noted that Azerbaijan has strong and neutral institutions, especially the election commission, which is responsible for holding these elections.

"As an observer, I expect that the elections will be held free, fair and transparent. The fact that the Central Election Commission invited international observers indicates that the integrity of the elections will be protected. As an observer, I visit various polling stations, where I assess the process of voting and vote counting. I am sure that this election will strengthen Azerbaijan's democracy and democratic institutions," he said.

Durrani stressed that the presidential elections will be held for the first time in territories liberated from Armenian occupation.

"This will be an important page in the history of Azerbaijan. The residents of the liberated [from occupation] regions will also be able to benefit from the opportunities of democracy. The holding of presidential elections in those areas is commendable and should be evaluated positively."

“Extraordinary presidential elections are being held in Azerbaijan in a very organized manner,” Alberto Villa, a member of the Mexican parliament and the chairman of the Mexico-Azerbaijani friendship group in the Mexican House of Representatives, told journalists while he was in polling station No. 14 of Electoral District No. 7 of Sabail district.

Villa noted that observing elections in Azerbaijan is a valuable experience: "Democratic elections are also held in Mexico, my homeland. In fact, there are many similar elements in the election process.

According to my first impressions from the observations, the elections have been very organized from the beginning. I would also like to mention the active participation of people. They come to the stations with great enthusiasm," he said.

Furthermore, Coordinator of the Monitoring Group for the IPA CIS, and Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, Zhakip Asanov, shared insights on the snap presidential election in Azerbaijan, specifically at Polling Station No. 2 in the Sabail district (Academy of Public Administration under the President of Azerbaijan).

"Our group comprises 36 members, including senators, deputies, officials, and experts from the Secretariat of the IPA CIS, representing six states. This mission is among the distinguished ones monitoring the preparation and voting process in Azerbaijan's early presidential elections. Our efforts began on December 18, 2023. The IPA CIS thoroughly reviewed Azerbaijan's legislation, evaluating its alignment with international standards, including the UN Declaration of Human Rights, international covenants on civil and political rights, and various conventions and agreements. The IPA CIS's international institute concluded that Azerbaijan's legislation is following global standards. Simultaneously, we actively observed the pre-election proceedings, holding meetings at the election headquarters of presidential candidates, engaging with government authorities, addressing issues, and offering recommendations.

Each IPA CIS observer will independently visit polling stations. Substantial organizational efforts have been dedicated to facilitating these unscheduled presidential elections. We're witnessing a celebratory atmosphere, extending congratulations to all, and will continue our observations at various other polling stations," shared Zhakip Asanov.

To recap, the Central Election Commission registered 7 presidential candidates - Ilham Aliyev of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, self-nominated candidates Zahid Oruj and Fuad Aliyev, Razi Nurullayev of the National Front Party, Fazil Mustafa of the Great Order Party, Elshad Musayev of the Greater Azerbaijan Party, Gudrat Hasanguliyev of the Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party.

It is particularly noteworthy that for the first time in the history of independent Azerbaijan, the snap presidential elections are being held throughout the country. District election commissions have been formed in the liberated territories.

The voting process is being observed by delegations from the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), CIS, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), CECs of Georgia, Montenegro, Ukraine, Maldives Election Commission, OSCE ODIHR Mission, etc. In total, more than 90,000 observers are registered to monitor the elections.