Azerbaijan Election Candidate Criticizes Readiness of CEC

Namizad Safarov, a candidate for deputy in Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis, has criticized the Central Election Commission (CEC) for its unpreparedness in holding democratic elections. Safarov, running from the First Nariman electoral district and serving as the self-nominated coordinator of the Committee against Repression and Torture, voiced his concerns to Turan after successfully collecting signatures from his supporters.

Despite the support, Safarov highlighted voter apathy and the CEC's and lower-level IC's lack of readiness for the elections. He revealed that 40% of the addresses in the First Narimanov IO did not match the lists provided by housing and communal services. "Residents of houses that were demolished 10 years ago are still listed as voters," Safarov pointed out.

"The population of Azerbaijan has lost faith in the possibility of electing worthy deputies to Parliament. Many are unwilling to sign voter lists or even open their doors to both government and opposition candidates," Safarov noted.

He described a high level of hostility towards election participants, with residents, especially in high-rise buildings, reluctant to engage with signature collectors. "This reluctance doesn't apply universally, but it affects up to half of the residents. People are disinterested in who represents them in Parliament, having lost faith in elections, the authorities, and opposition, as well as informal activists," he said.

Safarov also mentioned that about half of the voters in his district do not live at their registered addresses, complicating the signature collection process in urban areas. Additionally, many single-storey houses are occupied by renters, which Safarov estimated at 90% in the constituency.

"It is challenging for opposition and independent candidates to collect signatures. Conversely, government representatives seemingly do not engage in signature collection, likely relying on housing and communal services employees to do it for them," Safarov remarked.

The human rights activist concluded by asserting that the CEC is entirely unprepared for the elections, describing the process as chaotic and marred by legal violations.