Media Review for February 13, 2020

AZERTAC cites a speech by President Ilham Aliyev at the opening of the ASAN Xidmət center in Kurdamir on February 12. He stated that even organizations critical of Azerbaijan were forced to take positive points in the election process. The President noted that elections in any of the countries do not pass perfectly. He argued that during the current parliamentary elections there were no falsifications or serious violations that would cast doubt on the legitimacy of the elections. Moreover, the President believes that these elections could be a model for many countries. The head of state also believes that the approach to the OSCE / ODIHR elections is usually biased, but this time it is balanced and more objective than before. President Aliyev promised that those guilty of miscalculations and violations will be punished, assuring that cooperation with all international structures will continue. The head of state also noted that this time 1,300 candidates took part in the polls, so he does not agree with the OSCE / ODIHR’s statement that there is no competition during the elections.

The website Azadliq.info writes about a peaceful protest against the results of early parliamentary elections held in front of the CEC building on February 11 and its dispersal by the police. The article provides a statement by President Ilham Aliyev at a meeting with the leader of the Turkish-Azerbaijani parliamentary friendship group, Shamil Airim, on February 10. According to President Aliyev, if someone was dissatisfied with the elections, they would have raised their votes, but so far this has not happened. And this gives reason to believe that the elections in Azerbaijan reflected the will of the people. However, candidates for deputies expressed their attitude towards the rally, calling it an indicator of a lack of tolerance for a peaceful protest.

The website Yeniavaz.com writes that the largest increase in unemployment in the CIS is in Azerbaijan. According to the CIS Interstate Statistical Committee at the beginning of this year, the biggest growth of unemployment is in Azerbaijan. Compared to the beginning of 2019, the number of unemployed has increased 4 times. The number of unemployed also increased in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan by 7.4% and 6.5%, respectively.