No result was annulled in any district: 'It was transparently investigated'. 'It was a political decision'

On September 21, the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan confirmed the results of the snap parliamentary elections. Thus, the issue of the snap parliamentary elections was concluded.

In the preliminary report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, published on September 2, it was emphasized that the existing conditions did not allow for the elections to be held in accordance with democratic standards. Moreover, complaints were received from certain districts. Although results were annulled in 46 precincts across 21 election districts, this did not affect the overall result in any district. However, during previous parliamentary elections, the Central Election Commission (CEC) annulled results in four districts – the 80th Imishli-Beylagan, 74th Lankaran rural, 35th Khatai third, and 33rd Khatai first election districts – citing violations.

Shahriyar Majidzade, a candidate for the 97th Tartar-Aghdara-Goranboy district, stated that the difference between the September 1 parliamentary elections and those held in 2020 was that now, in general, neither investigations nor the presented evidence were thoroughly examined: "They only annulled the results of three election precincts, based on the numerous facts we provided, although there were more than 50 photo and video evidences. Furthermore, the CEC seemed more preoccupied with defending the district election commissions rather than investigating the matter."

In his opinion, there is another issue that has worsened since 2020: "Factors that influence voters' will have now been uncovered. Open violence is being used. In several districts, violence is being applied to candidates, observers, and lawyers. This indicates that the elections have entered a stage of violence. It is deteriorating with each election."

However, the CEC holds a different view. In response to complaints, the commission told "Turan" that the elections were held in a wide environment of transparency and openness: "51 foreign organizations and 598 international observers representing 69 countries, as well as representatives from reputable international media outlets, participated in observing the elections. The local media also fully participated in observing the process from the start of the election marathon to its conclusion, without any additional registration or documentation required. The results of exit polls conducted by three specialized organizations, two of which collaborated with foreign partners, almost completely matched the CEC results, considering the margin of error."

The commission emphasized that all appeals received after voting day, as well as information obtained from various sources, were thoroughly and transparently investigated with the participation of relevant stakeholders: "The complaints were addressed promptly and in accordance with the law during public sessions, and appropriate decisions were made following extensive discussions. Information about the progress of the investigation and review of complaints was made public by being posted on the commission's website."

The CEC also stated that the commissions of 35 election precincts found to have deficiencies in their work were dissolved.

Bashir Suleymanli, head of the Civil Rights Institute, told Radio Azadlig that the problem is related to improper and unfair investigation of complaints: "We witnessed many grievances regarding the investigation of complaints submitted to the CEC and DEC (District Election Commissions). This shows that the complaints were not investigated fairly. Some candidates themselves stated that the complaints were not fairly investigated or the facts were ignored."

The expert recalled CEC chairman Mazahir Panahov's remarks about thoroughly investigating the materials appearing in the media and social networks, emphasizing that decisions were only made regarding a few of them: "A few precincts across the republic were annulled, but this did not create any legal grounds for annulling the results in the districts."

According to him, the Constitutional Court also relied on the CEC protocols and confirmed their results: "On the other hand, this is not just about the investigation of complaints but also a political directive that the results in the election districts will not be annulled. If we look at previous parliamentary elections, these decisions were often political, and this time, most likely, it was a political decision as well."