International Observers Will Not Be Invited to Municipal Elections: A Domestic Issue or Something Else?

No international observers will be invited for the municipal elections, according to the Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Mazahir Panahov, who announced this during a meeting of the commission on December 2.

The CEC chairman stated that municipal elections are a domestic matter: “Whoever applies, we will accept, but we will not issue invitations to observers.”

In Azerbaijan, there have been years when no international observers were invited specifically for municipal elections. However, international observers were invited to monitor the most recent municipal elections held in 2019, with over 10 international observers registered. These observers included central election commissions from European and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

Elman Nasirov, a deputy from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) in the Milli Majlis, told "Turan" that international interest in municipal elections is typically low: “It is natural for international organizations to carefully monitor presidential and parliamentary elections. However, even when they participated in observing municipal elections in certain years, their interest and involvement were not significant.”

Nasirov believes that the statement by CEC Chairman Panahov is reasonable in this context: “Everything is relative. If international observers show a particular interest in this process, it would be logical for us to take corresponding steps.”

Natig Jafarli, chairman of the Republican Alternative (ReAL) Party, which has declared its intention to participate in the municipal elections, told Radio Azadliq that international organizations had previously been invited to observe municipal elections: “This year, the absence of such an invitation should be regarded as an unusual decision. Are parliamentary and presidential elections not also internal affairs of the country? In this sense, there is no difference between those elections and municipal elections. If international observers are invited for the former, they should also be invited for the latter.”

The party chairman pointed to Azerbaijan's strained relations with international institutions: “This is why our government is reluctant to invite observation missions from organizations like the OSCE and others. On the other hand, it seems that no observers will be coming from the CIS either. This is positive in a way, as they have always given the highest ratings to any elections.”

Jafarli predicts that voter turnout will be very low in these elections: “Perhaps that’s why such a decision about international observers was made. We will try to organize monitoring independently, at least in the constituencies where our party is participating. If international observers are absent, political parties and civil society should ensure more active domestic monitoring.”

Bashir Suleymanli, head of the Citizens’ Rights Institute, also expressed surprise at the CEC chairman’s statement: “In the last municipal elections, invitations were sent to 15 countries, including the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. Since Azerbaijan joined the Council of Europe in 2001, it has collaborated with this congress, which has regularly observed and assessed municipal elections.”

Earlier this year, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) declined to approve the credentials of Azerbaijan's delegation, citing non-compliance with commitments in human rights and other areas. In response, Azerbaijan announced it would suspend cooperation with the organization.

Suleymanli highlighted that this year, no invitation was extended to the Congress: “A political crisis between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe has been ongoing for a year. I believe the lack of an invitation to this congress influenced the decision not to invite other countries either. This has nothing to do with it being a domestic issue.”

The expert argued that not inviting international observers to the municipal elections is not the right approach. However, he does not believe this practice will be extended to other elections in Azerbaijan in the coming years.

Municipal elections in Azerbaijan are scheduled for January 29, 2025. However, municipal elections were initially expected to take place at the end of this year. According to current legislation, elections must be announced at least 60 days before voting.

The last municipal elections in Azerbaijan were held on December 23, 2019. According to the Election Code, municipal councils have a five-year term, and elections must be held no later than the end of this term.

Some political analysts and legal experts consider the delay in holding municipal elections unlawful. Members of the Milli Majlis have defended the delay, citing the hosting of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku from November 11-22 as a reason. However, no official explanation has been provided to the public.