Candidate for MP to Appeal to Supreme Court against Election Fraud

Sumgayit Appeal Court dismissed the complaint from the candidate for the 42^nd Sumgayit Second District Hafiz Babali on mass violations during the parliamentary elections. The Court upheld the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC), which also rejected Babali’s complaint.

The candidate for deputy intends to file an appeal with the Supreme Court, noting the biased investigation of his complaint and the evidence presented. In particular, Babali introduced 37 acts of violations on 15 of the 38 areas of the constituency.

The acts recorded the following violations: passing voters without checking their fingers with ultraviolet lamps, issuing ballots to voters without registration in the list of voters; massive stuffing of ballot boxes; removing the viewers from the place of issue of ballot papers and boxes; "carousel" (voting by the same individuals at different sites); violation in counting procedures; distortions in the protocols on voting results and others.

Along with the complaint, Babali submitted three pieces of video evidence. In one of the shots at Precinct No 37, Babali indicates that the bulletins issued were nine more than the number of voters' signatures. A member of the Commission recalculates the signature, while some of those present prevent Babali to shoot it on video.

On the second recording the head of the precinct election commission refuses to draw up a report after the counting of votes.

Another video shows a queue of voters at a precinct, who have not been checked with ultraviolet lamps.

Babali noted that the facts presented serious violations at almost half of the precincts. According to Article 170.2 of the Electoral Code, if voting results are considered invalid or canceled for more than 2/5 of the precincts, the elections in the constituency are not considered valid.

The CEC expert in Baku Appeal Court Rafig Abbasov said there is a need to trust the explanations of members of election commissions, rather than acts submitted by Babali, because they were signed by a greater number of people.

"The logic of the representative of the Central Election Commission does not hold water. The CEC should investigate the facts in our acts and not collect evidence to refute them. The CEC and the court failed to investigate and record webcams at sites, and in fact they are installed just for transparency and to prevent violations," said Babali.

He intends to appeal the decision of Baku Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court and then to apply to the Strasbourg Court. -06D--