The parliamentary elections held in Azerbaijan in early November did not differ from presidential ones in 2003 and municipal ones in 2004, stated International Crisis Group (ICG) Caucasus Project Director Sabine Freizer. «Frankly speaking, the whole of the international community expected good elections in Azerbaijan and President’s decrees over enhancement of the electoral practice gave hope for that. However we observed a totally different picture on the election day. Our observers saw witnessed many negative moments, she stated. In her words, to prevent things of the kind in the future it is necessary to investigate the gerrymander, punish those guilty. The Azeri Central Election Commission should abrogate election returns in all districts, where gerrymander was admitted. Courts should immediately call to account those guilty in interference with the vote. IF these measures are not take people’s confidence to elections in Azerbaijan will be lost.
Sabine Freizer also remarked that the ICG report on the elections in Azerbaijan contains a demand addressed to international organization to apply sanctions against Baku. «We proceed from the point that if Azeri authorities apply force to opposition rallies, the international community should raise the issue of cessation of EU-Baku talks and take steps to freeze Azerbaijan’s membership in the Council of Europe, as well as embargo visits of Azeri Government representatives to those countries. First of all it should concern the Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan Ramil Usubov and other force ministers who will be involved in it. Not transgressing the law and continuing peaceful rallies is demanded from the opposition,» she stated.
Answering a question on the degree to which the ICG reports are taken seriously by international organizations and Western governments, S. Freizer stated, «I can tell you that our reports are studied attentively by many international organizations and various governments. Our Washington Office, which conveyed the report to the White House, State Department and other US state offices, played an important role in drawing the latest report on Azerbaijan. Besides, the report was conveyed to top structures of the EU, CE and other European organizations. The ICG is a well-known international organization and various governments take into account our reports and pay attention to our opinion,» Day.az reported.
