OSCE hails Azerbaijan's efforts to hold transparent elections

The election administration was well provided with resources and complied with the deadlines established by law. The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan made concerted efforts to act transparently and welcomed the participation of international observers, the special coordinator of the OSCE short-term observer mission, Arthur Gerasymov said.

Report informs that Gerasymov presented a preliminary report of international observers - the OSCE / ODIHR, the OSCE PA, and PACE - based on the results of observations of early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan.

The special coordinator of the OSCE short-term observer mission thanked the Azerbaijani government for the invitation to observe the elections and for their openness.

He said "the absence of any serious coverage of the campaign in traditional media and the lack of debate in society and on television are some of the reasons for the low public attention."

"For more than 25 years, Azerbaijan has been suffering from the occupation of more than 20% of the territories. Therefore, in some regions of Azerbaijan, it was not possible to organize the voting process," Gerasymov noted.

"I am well aware of the impact of the conflict with Armenia on the organization of elections in this country, and I appreciate the efforts made to ensure the participation of internally displaced persons in the elections," the special coordinator of the mission said.