Musavat Demands New Elections

Photo: Reuters

REAL Considers the Election of 5 Members a Small Success, AXCP Ridicules the Election

On January 29, 2025, the Musavat Party Central Election Headquarters released its initial assessment of the local elections held in Azerbaijan.

The party concluded that the elections were neither free nor fair, and did not reflect the will of the people: “The date for the elections was delayed by over a month without any legal justification. Once again, the elections were held in an environment where there is no pre-election democratic atmosphere in the country, with intensified repression and a lack of democratic legislative frameworks or equal political competition opportunities. During the election period, the right to free assembly, freedom of speech, and expression were not ensured. Political parties in opposition, independent civil society organizations, journalists, and social media users who criticized the government’s policies continued to face pressure and persecution. Political prisoners were not released, and their numbers have increased.”

The Musavat Party stated that all election commissions and positions within them remained under the control of the government, with decisive influence: “All of this, as well as the inability of municipalities to function according to their designation and the transformation of these bodies into mere appendages of local executive authorities, has led to the loss of public trust in the elections, with the overwhelming majority of voters abstaining from municipal elections. Voter participation has reached a historical low, with participation at most polling stations being below 5%. The information provided by the CEC and district election commissions about voter activity has been repeatedly inflated.”

“We Demand New Elections”

The party also highlighted the presence of “carousel voting” operations, which it noted had taken on a massive scale: “The same voters casting ballots at multiple stations, carousel voting, and the dumping of stacks of ballots into boxes have become widespread. Numerous videos showing election fraud were shared on social networks. Musavat Party observers, particularly journalists filming at polling stations, faced pressure. Nearly 30 candidates nominated by the Musavat Party’s regional organizations were not provided with any protocol regarding the results of the vote. Carbonized protocols were not posted at the polling stations. In most cases, no protocols were even drawn up regarding the final voting results.”

“Polling station heads grossly violated Article 106.5 of the Election Code, which mandates that voter votes must be counted continuously until the election results are finalized. Instead, they announced an indefinite break, told observers that the votes would be counted the next day, and demanded that observers leave the stations. In the majority of polling stations, votes were not counted at all, and ballots were stuffed into bags and taken to the District Election Commission or the local Executive Authority. The preliminary results were not declared based on the counting of ballots, but rather according to fabricated numbers dictated from above,” the party stated.

Based on their observations, the Musavat Party concluded that the elections did not meet international standards: “The local elections held on January 29 in Azerbaijan did not meet international standards, nor did they fulfill the commitments Azerbaijan’s government has made to international organizations the country is a member of. The elections were neither free nor fair and did not reflect the will of the people. Musavat Party demands the annulment of the results of the January 29, 2025, municipal elections and calls for reforms to establish the rule of law and a democratic society, including electoral reforms, and the holding of new elections.”

“Big Victories Are Won with Small Steps”

REAL Party leader Natig Cafarli wrote on his Facebook account that the party achieved a small success in this election.

He viewed this small success as a step toward a bigger victory: “The municipal elections have ended. Unfortunately, the powers, responsibilities, and budgets of municipalities, which are local self-government bodies, are very weak. Given the overall lack of faith in the elections, there was little interest in this important state institution.”

“Five members of REAL were elected to municipal councils in these elections. There were some violations related to our other candidates, and we will protect their rights through legal means.”

“Electing 5 members from the party for the first time is a small success. Big victories are won through small steps. One day, in our country, there will undoubtedly be serious system changes through elections!” Cafarli stated.

“Not an Election, but Real ASAN Service’”

Ali Kerimli, chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), called the elections “ASAN Service”:

“I think that today in Azerbaijan, 99% of the people didn’t even know that an election was taking place. Ilham Aliyev has destroyed the election institution to such an extent that, in today’s municipal ‘elections,’ not only the people, but even the members of the election commission and most of the candidates didn’t participate. This is not an election; it’s real ‘ASAN Service.’ You just add your name to the list, and then go pick up your certificate. Meeting with voters, preparing and distributing a platform, campaigning, competing, convincing the people, bringing them to the polls – these ‘outdated’ and ‘meaningless’ struggles have been spared both the candidates and the people.” (ASAN Service is a government-run initiative in Azerbaijan that simplifies and streamlines access to public services, providing citizens with a one-stop-shop for a wide range of administrative tasks.)

“In parliamentary elections, it’s Ilham Aliyev himself who takes on the ‘effort’ of the people’s voting. In municipal elections, the ‘hardworking’ executive heads he appointed take no effort and instead, they ‘suffer’ on behalf of the people to ‘elect’ municipal council members,” Kerimli remarked.

According to him, the Azerbaijani government no longer even feels the need to imitate democracy, elections, or competition: “They are sending a clear message to society at every opportunity: we are not changing, reforms, and such things are not for us. We will continue like this. If you have the skills, change us.”

“Carousel,” Threats, and Intimidation…

One of the most notable districts in the January 29 municipal elections was the 23rd Nasimi-Sabail Election District, where serious problems were created for independent candidate Camila Alisheva. Journalists also faced obstacles and pressure in this district, and observer Ahmad Mammadli reported in a video message that he had been threatened with death. Videos from polling stations in this district revealed “carousel” voting operations, with ballots being stuffed into boxes.

Municipal Elections in Azerbaijan: A Brief Chronicle

So far, six municipal elections have been held in Azerbaijan, with the previous elections taking place in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019. The most recent municipal elections were held on December 23, 2019. According to the Election Code, municipal elections are held every five years, and until now, these elections have always been held in December. However, the chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Mazahir Panahov, announced that the date for municipal elections in Azerbaijan had been changed to November 6, 2024, and this time, the elections were scheduled for January 29, 2025. Some experts considered the extension of the municipal election date to be in violation of the law.

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