The high voter turnout in Azerbaijan's snap parliamentary elections is a very encouraging sign, Nurlan Kolchukeev, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan, who is registered as an observer in the elections, told Report.
Kolchukeev noted that they were invited to monitor the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan through the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). He emphasized that at all the polling stations they observed, people were actively casting their votes. "They are exercising their constitutional right and making their choice. Elections are a crucial matter in the political life of a country, and it is very gratifying to see people actively participating in the elections en masse," he said.
Kolchukeev said that all the polling stations they observed were equipped with the necessary facilities and fully complied with international standards. "Voter lists are posted at all polling stations, and every voter can find their name on these lists. The presence of both party representatives and neutral observers, as well as the use of transparent ink by each voter during the voting process, are indicators of the transparency of these elections," he explained.
He stressed that there is a very pleasant atmosphere at the polling stations. "What we have seen gives us reason to say that any instances of electoral fraud are out of question," Kolchukeev concluded.