OIC rep praises transparency of Azerbaijan’s snap parliamentary elections

Deputy Secretary-General of the Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (PUOIC) Ali Asghar Muhammadi Sijani has said that observations of the voting process suggest that the snap parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan are being conducted transparently.

He stated that all necessary conditions for voting have been established at the polling stations, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media. 

"We have already visited five polling stations and have not encountered any violations. I hope that all voters will exercise their right to vote before the polls close," Asghar said. The OIC representative emphasised that he has observed the electoral process in Azerbaijan multiple times and has never witnessed any violations.

He also noted that the PUOIC observation mission will hold a press conference on September 2 to present the findings of their monitoring.

Polls have opened in Azerbaijan's snap parliamentary elections. A total of 990 candidates are vying for 125 seats in the Azerbaijani parliament. Across the republic, 6,478 polling stations have been set up to accommodate the 6,421,960 registered voters. Notably, 51,141 citizens will be casting their votes for the first time in the elections.

The Central Election Commission has printed 6,516,567 ballot papers to ensure a smooth voting process. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), 112,749 local observers and 589 international observers from 51 international organizations and 69 countries have been registered for the elections. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called for the snap elections on June 28, 2024. 

The polls will remain open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Following Azerbaijan’s Election Code, the election campaign commenced on August 9, 2024, and officially paused 24 hours before the voting began, respecting the election silence period. The elections have attracted participation from 25 political parties, with candidates represented across the ballots. With nearly a thousand candidates, the competition for the parliamentary seats is expected to be intense.