The U.S. State Department declares its preliminary assessment on the parliamentary elections held in Azerbaijan

United States Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley said that parliamentary elections held in Azerbaijan were peaceful, with the participation of all opposition parties and observers from domestic groups and the international community: “We support the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) mission’s preliminary assessment”.

Also was noted that some technical aspects of the election, including centralized registration and the inclusion of record numbers of domestic observers, constituted improvements, as did a modest increase in the percentage of female candidates. However, there were problems noted during the pre-election process and on Election Day.

“We share concerns by the OSCE/ODIHR Observer Mission. We call upon the Azerbaijani Government to focus now on adjudicating election grievances fairly, transparently, and expeditiously, ensuring accountability for officials who are suspected of interfering with the elections”.


/APA/