A delegation of Moldova’s Central Election Commission will observe the February 7 snap presidential election in Azerbaijan, IPN reports, with reference to Azerbaijani press reports.
The delegation will be led by the head of the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova Angelica Caraman. The observation mission will publish a report after the voting process, according to Trend.az.
The monitoring takes place in the context of the cessation of cooperation with and presence of the Azerbaijani delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The split between the former Soviet republic and the European organization occurred after Azerbaijan, contrary to the regulation, refused to accept a PACE mission to monitor the election and the pre-election process at the upcoming presidential election. For its part, PACE refused to validate the mandate of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Ukrainian media reported that this decision will not lead to practical changes as the Azerbaijani side announced that it was leaving PACE without waiting for a decision.
The press in Kiev quoted the adopted resolution saying that “over 20 years after joining the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan has not fulfilled its fundamental obligations... Very serious concerns remain about the capacity to hold free and fair elections, the balance of power, the weakness of parliament, the independence of the judiciary and respect for Human Rights”, reminding that “at least 18 media workers are under arrest”.
For its part, Azerbaijan claims that the European organization was ineffective in solving the Karabakh problem and “for nineteen years, since 2001 until 2020, PACE failed to call the aggressor state, Armenia, to account for its actions that run counter to the basic values and principles of the Council of Europe. In particular, this refers to flagrant disregard for the rights of Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons who have undergone ethnic cleansing,” the statement of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE said.
