Corruption - Systemic Issue - Erkin Gadirli

Baku / 01.05.20 / Turan: Relations between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe may change for the better, after the acquittal of REAL leader Ilgar Mammadov. This was in an interview with the Voice of America, MP Erkin Gadirli.

“The decision of the Supreme Court on Ilgar Mammadov and Rasul Jafarov is an important precedent. Winning a case in the European Court under Article 18 means that the conditions in the country have changed and the attitude of the authorities has changed,” he said.

Gadirli also drew attention to the inclusion of him - the oppositionist in the delegation of the Milli Majlis in PACE.

“I think there is an update, mitigation. I think that perhaps the quality of these relations will change for the better,” Gadirli said.

When asked to comment on the issue of Azerbaijan’s obligations to solve the problem of political prisoners, Gadirli said this issue should be reset.

“I think this page should be closed. The decision regarding Ilgar Mammadov and Rasul Jafarov can be seen as a new way. I think that there will be similar steps with respect to other convicts, whose violation of rights under article 18 was recognized by the ECHR. This will open up new opportunities for solving the problem of political prisoners, which should no longer be a burden for Azerbaijan. I am optimistic,” said Gadirli.

Answering a question about the role of parliament in the fight against corruption, Gadirli said he does not accept the concept of “fight against corruption”. “This is a systemic problem. The roots of this system must be investigated and resolved.”

He considers unjustified the expectation that the change of corrupt officials to others can prevent corruption. “It is necessary to change the very system that creates corruption. Some steps are being taken, but we all expect more radical reforms,” Gadirli said.

CoE Venice Commission has put forward proposals for electoral reform. Should it be reformed? Answering this question, the deputy said: “You just need to correctly count the votes. In fact, the current law allows fair elections. I don’t think that if the composition of the election commissions changes, then this will significantly change something.”

At the same time, Gadirli considers it important to exclude teachers from the composition of precinct election commissions. “Schools are very dependent on the executive branch, and they are even more dependent on the executive branch than the Central Election Commission. This was especially evident in the last election.”

“It seems to me that the recent arrests of heads of the executive branch related to corruption should be considered in a post-election context. Subsequently, elections can be held in electronic format. This system works in many countries. In this case, precinct election commissions will not be needed,” Gadirli said.   –03B06--