OSCE ODIHR assessment is crucial for the international community

The main assessment of the elections, which the international community adopts, is the conclusion of the OSCE ODIHR mission. At least this is the case for the European Union, the governments of the EU countries, the USA, as well as the Council of Europe.

In their attitude to the election, these structures and the countries which are members of the OSCE, can not and will not ignore the ODIHR opinion in one of the OSCE states - in this case, in Azerbaijan. Turan was told by an international expert in the field of elections, who wished to remain anonymous.

According to him, the primacy of the ODIHR monitoring is the fact that it is carried out by professional experts in the field of elections, covering the pre-election period, including assessment of the law, the political atmosphere in the country, and the possibilities of election participants.

Therefore, attempts by the authorities of Azerbaijan to cast a shadow on the evaluation of the OSCE ODIHR are unfounded and inappropriate.

As regards the pro-government media statements that members of the OSCE mission in an interview spoke positively about the elections, it is nonsense, because these estimates are not available in the final statement, he said.

"Members of the OSCE ODIHR observation mission do not have the authority to give interviews during monitoring. Obviously, the journalist mistook a member of the OSCE mission with one of the many guests - "observers" invited by the authorities from around the world, including the Philippines and Argentina.

At the same time, unclear is the source of funding for these observers, who paid them business class flights and accommodation in expensive hotels. According to Turan, on the eve of the election passengers flying from Istanbul to Baku by a business class flight with Turkish Airlines were so many that they were placed in triple rows of economic class, moving the defensive curtain deep into the hall," said the expert.

The head of the OSCE ODIHR Observation Mission has the right to include in the report the statements of other entities - PACE, the European Parliament and others, if they reflect the real picture.

If the same conclusions are contrary to the observations of the OSCE ODIHR, then he has the right not to include their views in the report. That is exactly what happened in Azerbaijan.

The expert called indicative the fact that the leadership of the European Parliament and the EU election assessment mission proceeded from the conclusion of the OSCE ODIHR, and not from that of a small delegation of the European Parliament.

"I think that the European Parliament delegation will have to explain to their political groups about their positive assessments amid criticism by international human rights organizations and numerous violations identified by the OSCE ODIHR observers," said the expert.

As for Michel Voisin, who said that the missions of PACE, the European Parliament and the short-term OSCE staff recorded positive developments, the expert noted that this man performed a technical function of coordinator between observers from the OSCE PA and ODIHR. Therefore, he could not draw conclusions about the election.

A person authorized to act on behalf of long-term and short-term observers is the head of the OSCE ODIHR Observation Mission Tana de Zulueta, the expert said.

As for the threats of the Azerbaijani authorities to suspend cooperation with the OSCE ODIHR, then the expert suggested that this is nothing more than rhetoric aimed at domestic consumption. Non-cooperation with the OSCE ODIHR and not inviting them to the polls would certainly cast a shadow on the will of the government to conduct fair elections, he said. –06B–