Musavat Does Not Recognize Legitimacy of Presidential Elections

Baku / 12.04.18 / Turan: The extraordinary presidential elections of April 11 in Azerbaijan were not free or fair and their results do not reflect the free expression of the people"s will. This was stated by the Musavat party about the elections on April 11.

The document calls into question the legality of the very appointment of the early elections. They were appointed without any political necessity and without providing explanations and lacking constitutional foundations. The sudden appointment of early elections without discussing the opposition's proposals was designed to create an uncompetitive environment, so that Ilham Aliyev would become President for the fourth time.

The elections took place in an atmosphere of restriction of freedom of assembly, the press, and associations. The problem of political prisoners has not been solved in the country, and their number exceeds 150 people. The country's television channels are propagating in favor of the authorities.

The authorities ignored the recommendations of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe on reforming the electoral legislation, the formation of election commissions, the mechanism for handling complaints, and organizing monitoring. Election commissions of all levels actually remain under the control of the authorities, the statement said.

In conclusion, the difference in the lists of voters is indicated: according to the CEC, their number is 5.2 million, and the State Statistics Committee says 7.2 million. This is done to artificially inflate the percentage of voters, according to the authors of the statement.

The rules of agitation were violated. So even before the election campaign began, cultural figures, artists, writers and Sheikh Pashazadeh called to vote for Ilham Aliyev.

Workers of state-budget-funded institutions were called to work illegally on election day to force people to vote. On the voting day, the facts of multiple voting of the same people were noted. Activists, bloggers and journalists trying to capture violations of the law were under pressure.

The appointment of early elections by Ilham Aliyev against the international norms and laws and his nomination for the presidency for the fourth time initially challenged the legitimacy of the elections.

Even despite the falsification of the artificial overstatement of the turnout, not more than 20% of voters took part in the vote.

Considering the foregoing, Musavat considers elections not free, not fair and not democratic. The party does not recognize legitimate the authority formed on the basis of such elections.

Musavat demands the cancellation of the results of the elections and the appointment of new elections meeting international standards. -06D-