CEC serves the authorities - Akif Gurbanov

Baku/29.04.21/Turan: The formation of a new composition of the Central Election Commission  CEC) of Azerbaijan will not lead to changes in the political life of the country, because the elections to this body were formal, said Akif Gurbanov, the head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI) in an interview with the "Difficult Question" program of the Turan agency.

According to him, the "new CEC" is the old CEC; its members are simply "re-appointed" to this body.

He believes that despite the formal quotas in the CEC of the parliamentary majority, parliamentary minority and non-party members, all members of the structure defend the interests of the authorities in it.

Gurbanov noted that every time after the elections there are complaints to the European Court, while the government is limited only to the payment of compensation and does not correct the electoral practice.

For many years, the authorities have been demanding the formation of election commissions on a parity basis, the restoration of a proportional system of parliamentary elections. However, the authorities pretend not to notice these demands.

According to Gurbanov, since 2009, all reforms in the field of elections are aimed not at empowering any forces, but at concentrating power in one hand.

In addition, in violation of the law, one of the CEC members is a member of the ruling “Yeni Azerbaijan” Party, who did not resign from his party position.

Gurbanov believes that the way out of the situation is through the adherence to principles of political forces, active participation in the democratic political struggle of the people themselves. — 06D-