Ngos' Presence In Azerbaijani Khojaly, Fuzuli Ensures Transparency Of Parliamentary Election (PHOTO)

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. NGOs are monitoring the parliamentary election in Azerbaijan's Khojaly and Fuzuli, Trend reports.

Elsevyar Huseynov, a representative of the Public Association of Disabled People, Karabakh War Veterans, and Families of Martyrs of Azerbaijan, observing at polling station No. 75 in Fuzuli's constituency No. 84, said that his organization has deployed over 100 observers nationwide.

“The process is proceeding smoothly and peacefully. We have not encountered any major irregularities. The organization is well managed, and everyone is demonstrating responsibility. All necessary conditions have been provided for voters to express their will at the polling booths,” he emphasized.

Huseynov added that the public association also observes the election at Polling Station No. 73 in Aghdam-Khojaly electoral district No. 118, where the situation was similar.

This year, over 5,500 observers from civil society and NGOs have been registered to monitor the parliamentary election across the country, setting a record compared to the previous election. These observers represent 16 civil society organizations, a number seven times higher than in the 2015 parliamentary election and four times higher than in 2020.

Two electoral coalitions have been established to monitor the election. The“For Civil Society” coalition was founded by Zaur İbrahimli. Head of the“Priority” Socio-Economic Research Center; Ramil Iskendarli, Chairman of the Legal Analysis and Research Public Union; and Vugar Tofigli, Chairman of the "Propaganda of Municipalities' Activities" public association.

The“My Voice” Election Monitoring Coalition was established by prominent human rights activists: Novella Jafaroglu, chairwoman of the“D. Aliyeva Society for the Protection of Azerbaijani Women's Rights” public association; Saadet Bananyarli, chairwoman of the Azerbaijan National Branch of the International Society for Human Rights; and Saida Gojamanli, chairwoman of the Protection of Human Rights and Rule of Law Public Union.

Of the NGO representatives observing polling stations on election day, 20 percent are from these two coalitions.

Additionally, the Organization of Veterans of War, Labor, and Armed Forces is conducting observation with about 700 observers nationwide. The Azerbaijan Student Youth Organizations' Union and the Union of Volunteer Organizations of Azerbaijan are also monitoring the process with a combined total of 1,500 observers.

On June 28, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree dissolving the sixth convocation of the Azerbaijani Parliament and scheduling the extraordinary election for September 1.

Azerbaijan has 6,421,960 registered voters, including 374 who turned 18 on the election day. There are 6,478 polling stations, comprising 6,343 permanent and 135 temporary locations.

In the territories liberated from occupation, 54 permanent polling stations are set up. There are 10 electoral districts for internally displaced persons (IDPs), with 574 IDP polling stations serving 397,862 voters. More than 42,000 voters will cast their ballots in the liberated areas.

A total of 51,141 voters will participate for the first time in the extraordinary parliamentary election. The oldest female voter is 134 years old, and the oldest voter is 109 years old.

Exit polls will be conducted at approximately 2,500 polling stations. Three international organizations are registered to carry out these polls: the Citizens' Labor Rights Protection League, together with Oracle Advisory Group (US), and the "Tereggi" Public Association for Social Research, in collaboration with the Italian SWG S.p.A. research company.

A total of 112,749 local observers have been registered, including over 65,000 representatives of political parties. There are 598 international observers from 51 organizations and 69 countries, including 227 from OSCE/ODIHR and 61 from OSCE PA.

Among the 990 registered candidates, 305 represent 25 political parties, while 371 are party members but were not nominated by their parties. In total, 676 candidates are affiliated with political parties.

Webcams have been installed at 1,000 polling stations nationwide to allow direct and continuous observation of the voting process without requiring registration.

Portable ballot boxes will be used across all polling stations for the parliamentary election on September 1.

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