Municipal Elections Delayed, No Explanation from CEC

Despite municipal elections being scheduled for the end of this year in Azerbaijan, an official date has yet to be announced. According to current legislation, elections must be declared at least 60 days in advance, but the Central Election Commission (CEC) has provided no information on the date.

The last municipal elections in Azerbaijan were held on December 23, 2019. According to the Election Code, municipalities have a five-year mandate, and elections should be held within this period. Additionally, a draft law has been prepared this year for merging certain municipalities. Based on the draft, which passed its first reading in the National Assembly, the number of municipalities is expected to be reduced from 1,400 to 684 through consolidation.

Attempts to obtain a comment from the CEC on the delayed announcement of the next municipal elections have been unsuccessful. However, Ceyhun Mammadov, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations, stated to "Turan" that such issues should be resolved according to the law. He also pointed out that Azerbaijan will be hosting a major international event, COP29, from November 11 to 22, which has currently diverted attention towards ensuring a successful event. He added that clarity would be provided in the coming days and assured the public would soon receive comprehensive information regarding the municipal elections.

This year, parliamentary elections, initially planned for autumn, were also moved up to September 1, with the government citing the upcoming COP29 Climate Conference in Baku as the reason.

Bashir Suleymanli, head of the Civil Rights Institute, told Radio Azadliq Liberty that delaying municipal elections beyond the five-year term is a violation of the Election Code's requirements. “Since the previous elections were held on December 23, 2019, the term for municipal members ends on that date this year. Therefore, elections should have been held by this date, and the election date should have been set by October 24. However, this has not happened, and this itself is a violation.”

Suleymanli expressed that this lack of action by the CEC is unsurprising, noting, "The CEC cannot execute these powers independently; they are waiting for a political decision from the administration. Naturally, without such a decision, they are unable to provide explanations."

According to Suleymanli, COP29 plays a significant role in this delay, as it influenced the early scheduling of parliamentary elections. He believes the municipal elections have been postponed because they coincide with COP29. "However, at the very least, there should have been an explanation as to why these elections are not being held."

He emphasized that the law specifies particular conditions under which elections may be postponed, and none of these apply in the current situation. "Therefore, elections should have taken place. But they are not, and this is a political decision. Most likely, the elections will be scheduled after COP29."

Some lawyers believe that legal and political responsibility for the issue lies with both the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court. However, no comment has yet been obtained from the Constitutional Court on this matter.