Campaigning Begins: 'Trend Shows a Decrease in Election Complaints Year by Year'

In Azerbaijan, campaigning for the early parliamentary elections scheduled for September 1 has been underway for three days, but some complaints have been raised.

Shahriyar Mammadov, a candidate from the 97th Terter-Agdara-Goranboy constituency, has officially lodged a complaint with the Central Election Commission (CEC). He claims that although the election campaigning period was supposed to start on August 9, Anar Mammadov, the ruling New Azerbaijan Party's (YAP) candidate from the same constituency, violated the legislation by starting his campaign early. Mammadov alleges that Anar Mammadov began his campaign by posting promotional materials in Borsunlu village on August 8. He requests that Anar Mammadov's candidacy be annulled to ensure equal competition, arguing that the early campaigning undermines the election's integrity and damages Azerbaijan’s international reputation.

However, the opposing side considers the complaint baseless. Anar Mammadov’s assistant, Elchin Cahangirov, dismisses the allegations, stating, "It is completely false and absurd; Mr. Anar's poster was put up on August 9. Please do not bother us with such issues."

Complaints are not limited to the campaigning phase. Issues related to registration are still being reported. On August 10, CEC Chairman Mazahir Panahov stated that 1,508 candidates had registered for the early parliamentary elections, with 1,052 of them officially accepted.

Another complainant, Fikret Jafarov, Chairman of the Center for the Study of Torture, said that his candidacy for the 32nd Surakhani III constituency was rejected due to issues with his signature sheets. He claimed to have collected more than 700 signatures, exceeding the requirement of 200. Jafarov contends that the real issue was that he had concealed an income of 2,070 manat over the past year, although he provided a bank statement from KapitalBank. He believes that the district election commission (DEC) only accepted evidence from tax authorities, which he argues was impossible, and consequently did not register his candidacy. Jafarov has filed an appeal but doubts it will be successful.

Gulaga Aslanli, head of the Musavat Party's Election Headquarters, reports that while campaigning has started, it is not very noticeable. In his constituency, Nəsimi-Binəqədi, only two campaign locations were designated—one open and one closed. Aslanli criticizes the CEC's restrictions, implying that it is practically impossible to conduct a campaign in Baku. He plans to file a complaint with the DEC about this issue and another complaint about the incorrect listing of "Musavat" instead of "Musavat Party" in the candidate registration list.

CEC Press Secretary Shahin Asadli states that complaints are investigated according to the Election Code and relevant guidelines, with decisions made in CEC meetings. He notes that there are expert groups within the CEC and DECs that review complaints before decisions are made.

Mirali Huseynov, Chairman of the Public Union for the Study of Democracy, observes that while there are some complaints, they are relatively few. He points out that the CEC has handled 14 complaints, and while details about court complaints are less clear, media reports suggest that complaints are not notably significant. Huseynov notes that the trend of decreasing complaints is evident, citing a reduction from over 30 complaints in the 2020 parliamentary elections to fewer in the current cycle. He attributes this trend to improvements in election practices and reduced trust in decision-making bodies by participants.