Azerbaijan's election commission urges candidates to be careful

By Aynur Karimova - AzerNews 

Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission has expressed concern over the spread of information about parliamentary candidates across social media, which violates the country's Electoral Code.

Speaking at a commission meeting on September 29, CEC Chairman Mazahir Panahov urged candidates to be careful and attentive when false information is spread on their behalf, and to deny it in time.

He said that it is difficult to investigate such cases.

"Information in the name of some candidates is spread, which may violate the Election Code. If such a case occurs on television, in the media outlets, we can take measures. However, to control social networks is quite difficult. Candidates for members of the parliament should be careful. If any information is spread without their knowledge, they should clarify it," Panahov noted.

Panahov added that the number of candidates registered with the CEC to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections has reached 427.

In addition, the number of people who have appealed to the CEC for the registration of their candidacies has reached 1,753, some 565 of which are put forth by political parties, 62 from the “Azadlig-2015” political bloc, three from initiative groups, while 1,123 of them are self-nominated candidates.

To date, 10 NGOs have been granted permission by the CEC to monitor the elections.

Azerbaijan will hold parliamentary elections on November 1. Preparations for this significant event are in full swing.

Campaigning will commence on October 9 and will end promptly at 8:00 a.m on October 31, exactly 23 days before voting as required by law. Campaign leaflets will be placed at polling stations until October 2.

The submission of all documents necessary to register candidates for district election commissions will be accepted until 6:00 p.m. October 2.

Election documents can be submitted by the candidate, his/her authorized representative, or an authorized representative from the candidate’s political party/bloc.

The verification of document authenticity and decisions regarding candidate eligibility will be made within seven days after receiving the corresponding paperwork at the district election commissions.

In accordance with the Azerbaijani law "On freedom of assembly," some 128 public and 128 private locations in 117 electoral districts throughout the country have already been determined for candidates to meet with and address voters.