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US officials: Azerbaijani government did not hold a true electoral contest
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The news agency Turan
The news agency Turan

US officials: Azerbaijani government did not hold a true electoral contest

US Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe) condemned Azerbaijani presidential election stating that it “was deemed to fall far short of its internationally-recognized election standards” on Thursday, October 10, hours after the Obama Administration broke silence and raised its concerns over “serious procedural irregularities.”

 
“The Government of Azerbaijan made it clear that it was only interested in going through the motions of a democratic election and not holding a true electoral contest,” said US Senator Ben Cardin, Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, TURAN’s Washington DC correspondent reports.
 
“It’s disappointing to see Azerbaijan waste another opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to pursuing democratic progress,” he emphasized in a statement.
 
For Cardin, the problems stem “not only from the ballot stuffing and counting irregularities on election day itself, but also were apparent over the past year as the opposition was continually harassed and detained, and independent media faced severe restrictions on reporting.”
 
Meanwhile, the State Department in a statement backed the OSCE election mission’s assessment and concerns over the election, urging the Azerbaijani government to “respect the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and speech.”
 
“We urge restraint and avoidance of violence by all in the post electoral period. We remain committed to supporting the people of Azerbaijan and working with the Government to further efforts to achieve Azerbaijan’s full potential as a stable, prosperous, and democratic member of the international community,” the Department’s statement reads.
 
Marie Harf, deputy State Department spokeswoman said in a daily press conference that Washington is following the events closely.
 
The OSCE’s report noted serious problems on election day, such as ballot stuffing and irregularities with vote counting. They also noted significant shortcomings in the pre-election period.
 
“Embassy Baku observed similar problems, and of course, we are disturbed by these shortcomings in the process. And as we all know, the immediate post-election period is as important, I think, to the overall process as what occurs on election day, so we call on Azerbaijani authorities to respect the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and speech, and urge restraint and avoidance of violence,” she added.
 
When asked whether she is expected there to be any implications for the future of US-Azerbaijani relations as a result of election, Ms. Harf said, “we’ll keep evaluating the situation and take a look at our policy and see where things may go from here.” -25B-

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