Media review - February 7, 2020

Preparations for early parliamentary elections, rigging during the elections, the likelihood of a new dollar crisis, the reasons for the decline in credit cards are the topics of today's media.

The official newspaper “Azerbaijan” writes about the meeting on February 6 of the head of the CEC, Mazir Panahov, with representatives of the Russian media who arrived to cover the extraordinary parliamentary elections. According to Panahov, about 900 international observers from 59 international organizations arrived in Azerbaijan. In addition, about 78 thousand local observers were accredited to observe the elections. The CEC has registered three organizations to conduct an exit-poll. According to Mazair Panahov, all election commissions are ready to hold elections, on the election day citizens of the country will be free to express their will.

The site “Modern.az” writes about how school principals dictate to their teachers whom they should vote for. The author recalls similar cases during the December 23 municipal elections.

Shahlar Askerov, professor, chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Education, speaks about forcing teachers to vote for specific candidates.

The site “Sfera.az” writes about a possible new dollar crisis. Experts believe that if oil prices fall below $ 40, a new dollar crisis in Azerbaijan is possible. Currently, the rate of manat to the dollar is regulated by administrative methods.

Yenisabah.az website writes about the situation with credit cards. In 2019, the number of cards on wages increased by 276 thousand units, and the number of credit cards decreased by 63 thousand. The reasons for this are not clear. Expert Natik Jafarli believes that canceling credit cards can lead to a decrease in foreign currency deposits.