Journalists are advised to cover elections with due regard to "national interests"

Baku/11.01.24/Turan: Azerbaijani legislation specifies the list of entities who cannot engage in election campaigning. This was stated by Central Election Commission member Fuad Javadov on Thursday at a meeting on election campaigning and media activity at the 7 February snap Presidential election.

Thus, foreign mass media and NGOs, as well as structures in the authorised capital of which a share of foreign companies or persons is 30% or more cannot participate in the election campaign.

The pre-election campaign cannot start before the deadline and persons under 18 years of age cannot participate in it.

In turn, chairman of the audiovisual council Ismet Sattarov noted that this structure will monitor the pre-election period.

He added that the media group of journalists under the CEC has the right to apply to law enforcement agencies, courts and the audiovisual council to take measures against those who violated the rules of pre-election campaigning.

The executive director of the Media Development Agency, Ahmed Ismayilov, said that "all opportunities for media coverage of the elections have been created".

He quoted Ilham Aliyev's words that "Azerbaijani journalists should always demonstrate a principled approach, and amid growing campaigns of lies at the global level, put national interests above all." -16D-