What are the differences in these elections?

In Azerbaijan, there are only two days left until the snap parliamentary elections. Today is the last day of the campaign. Nearly a thousand (990) candidates are set to compete across 125 electoral districts.

The ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) has nominated candidates in all districts. In the elections, more than 20 registered parties, excluding the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), are participating. They have only fielded candidates in some districts. The AXCP, however, has decided to boycott the elections, citing the lack of conditions for free and fair elections.

So, what are the similarities and differences in these elections compared to previous ones?

Novella Jafaroglu, co-founder of the "My Vote" Election Coalition, told Turan that the election process is very active: "All participating parties are actively involved in the elections, and even candidates who know they have little chance of winning are actively meeting with voters in the regions. This is very good and important."

Jafaroglu emphasized that very few negative reports have been received on the coalition's hotline: "During the registration process, only three or four people filed complaints. Later, we reviewed these complaints together with the Central Election Commission (CEC) and found that one of the complainants was collecting signatures from another district, while others had committed certain violations. A very small number of candidates complained that they were not allowed to meet with voters. We brought this issue to the attention of the CEC and the Presidential Administration. These issues were immediately resolved."

According to her, the coalition is currently satisfied with the progress of the election process: "For us, the most important thing is how the election commissions behave on election day. We have 533 observers in 63 districts. Based on the information they provide us, we will prepare a report. So far, the election campaign is proceeding normally."

Unlike previous elections, many local organizations known for their critical reports are not monitoring these snap parliamentary elections. They explain this by citing pressure from the authorities, although officials do not accept the criticism.

Political commentator Nasimi Mammadli, however, told Radio Azadlıq that, on the contrary, this election process is more subdued than previous ones: "Overall, the element of competition was only noticeable in two districts. In the remaining districts, there is almost no element of competition. The registered candidates seem to have joined the process knowing in advance who would be elected as deputies from those districts and have not put forward any claims."

According to the expert, public sentiment toward the elections has also become increasingly negative: "In the past, it was at least possible to hear discussions about the elections in places where citizens gathered, but now, such discussions are almost nonexistent. Except for the campaigns of one or two candidates on social media, the election process has hardly attracted any attention."

Mammadli emphasized that the reason for this is that all political freedoms and public participation in the country have been completely restricted, creating a completely apolitical situation: "In such a situation, there can, of course, be no political activity. There are political prisoners, and many journalists are in prison."