Press release - 09-11-2004
For immediate release
AEGEE Election Observation Mission to Azerbaijan
For the Parliamentary elections of the Republic of Azerbaijan, November 6th 2005, a group from AEGEE (European Students' Forum, www.aegee.org) took part in a mission organized by Lymec (European Liberal Youth, www.lymec.org), to contribute to free and fair elections.
Our accredited international mission was able to monitor polling stations thoroughly. They developed a specific understanding of the electoral process at a district level. Supported by 10 local assistants, the team of 33 observers from AEGEE, Lymec and Silba (a Danish cross-political NGO) exclusively focused on three districts in the northern border region of Azerbaijan.
The observers operating in the districts Qusar (51), Khachmaz City (55) and Khachmaz rural area (56) identified five main concerns:
1. Interference of local observers and local administration in the work of the Election Commissions.
2. Insufficient respect of the status of Local Election Observers by the electoral commission. This resulted in an inappropriate working environment in which Local Election Observers did not have the same access to information as International Observers.
3. Obligatory and involuntary collection and delivery of registered citizens and soldiers to polling stations either by foot or special bus services provided by the local administration or those associated with them.
4. Strong and malevolent pressure set on voters to vote for candidates backed by the local administration.
Methods used:
a) Members of the local administration were engaging voters prior to their voting directly in front of the polling station;
b) Local Observers representing YAP (New Azerbaijan Party), the chosen candidate, or claiming to be independent, making eye contact, hand-shakes and thanking each voter immediately after their vote next to the ballot box;
c) Members of the local administration or those associated with them instructing voters how to vote, during obligatory transportation to the stations, or by visiting their houses in advance;
d) Uniformed members of the police visiting the private residence of each voter in a methodical manner and instructing them how to vote, as well as in attendance directly outside polling stations;
e) Additionally, a large number of voters provided information of a long-term campaign to coerce people to vote for officially supported candidates, corroborating evidence provided in the Long Term Observer report of the OSCE.
5. Poor adherence to electoral process at all stages of the short-term observation by the Electoral Commissions which resulted in a lack of trust in the confidentiality and impact of the individual vote on the electoral process.
AEGEE would like to express its gratitude to both Lymec and Silba, for making this joint mission a success. The team of 33 observers was accredited as the only youth organization conducting election observation in Azerbaijan.
We hope that AEGEE in the future can take a leading role in empowering young people to be involved in election observation. AEGEE will continue its election observation missions and contribute to the development of democracy on the European continent.
AEGEE is one of Europe's largest interdisciplinary and voluntary student associations, operating without being linked to any political party, promoting a unified Europe, cross-border co-operation, communication and integration in academic environment, and at the same time striving to create an open and tolerant society by involving students and young graduates in valuable projects and discussions over the topics of importance for the communities they live in. It is represented in 241 university cities, in 40 countries all around Europe and has about 15000 members.
Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at:
Bernd Knüfer
Director for Public Relations
European Students' Forum - AEGEE
Rue Nestor de Tière 15
B-1030 Bruxelles
Phone: +32 2 245 23 00
Fax: +32 2 245 62 60
Web: www.aegee.org
Email: [log in to unmask]
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