President of Azerbaijan's Trip to Kalbajar

BAKU, 2 September 2024 – Azerbaijan's early parliamentary elections did not offer voters genuine political alternatives and took place within a legal framework overly restrictive of fundamental freedoms and the media, although they were efficiently prepared, international observers said in a statement today.

The early parliamentary elections on September 1 were accompanied by serious violations, which dealt a blow to their democratic legitimacy, a statement by the Election Observation Alliance (EOA), which monitored the elections by a group of local experts and short-term observers. The political and legal environment of the elections was characterized by the concentration of power with the weakening of the opposition, which calls into question the fairness and transparency of the elections.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that “If the Armenian authorities have a desire for direct negotiations with Azerbaijan without Russia's participation to resolve the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, then "for God's sake,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday, speaking to teachers and students of the Moscow University of International Relations.  Lavrov also noted that on the issue of delimitation of the state border, the Russian Federation should consult this process between the participants, but this is not happening.

During the special elections for the Milli Mejlis at polling station 13 in the 23rd Nasimi-Sabail electoral district at School No. 23, violations occurred, Rahida Rahimova, a member of the electoral commission with an advisory vote representing the independent candidate Eldar Ismayilov told Turan agency. "Everything was transparent in the morning, but problems began in the afternoon, and after voting concluded, the continuity of the election process was disrupted," said Rahimova.