Azerbaijan Fosters Local Democracy With Municipal Elections And Reforms

(MENAFN- AzerNews) One of the important forms of implementing local self-government is municipal elections. elections are a more mass form of expressing the will of the people.

Elections as a form of local self-government are widely practised in almost all Democratic states. The main legal basis for the implementation of municipal elections in Azerbaijan is the Constitution of the country, the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On the Rules of Municipal Elections” adopted on July 2, 1999, and since 2003, the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

First Municipal Elections in Country

The first municipal elections in Azerbaijan were held on December 12, 1999, during the presidency of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. 74 constituencies and 4,683 precinct election commissions were established in these elections. 90.5 thousand people were involved in the organization of the elections, and a number of parties registered by the Ministry of Justice at that time actively participated in these elections. The composition of the municipal precinct election commissions, which were held for the first time in the country, was composed of 18% and 30% representatives of political parties and public organizations, respectively. It is important to note that more than 5 thousand candidates from 21 political parties were included in the precinct election commissions in the first municipal elections held in Azerbaijan.

After some time, new reforms began to be implemented to improve municipalities and bring them into line with international standards. The first such reform was implemented in 2005 to ensure the relations of Azerbaijani municipalities with municipalities in other countries and their representation at international events. Thus, in this direction, the Law“On Approval of the Model Regulations of Regional Associations of Municipalities” was adopted and city, settlement and village associations of municipalities were established.

The first women's suffrage in the East

Among the Eastern countries, Azerbaijan was the first country to give value and freedom to women and provide freedom of choice. It is no coincidence that it has set an example in the development of political, cultural, and social life.

As a result of the municipal elections held in Azerbaijan in 2019, as in previous elections, a significant increase was observed in the number of women and youth among the newly elected municipal members. Thus, the number of women was 5,847 (38.8%), and the number of youths was 6,012 (39.9%).

It should be noted that municipal reforms in Azerbaijan began in 2024 and were determined by the Law dated April 4, 2024.

It is no coincidence that the next municipal elections were held in Azerbaijan today. Voting for municipal elections started at all polling stations in Azerbaijan at 08:00 AM Baku time.

A total of 8,071 municipal representatives competed in elections in 685 municipalities among 118 electoral districts.

This year, there were 5,846 polling booths for municipal elections, 5,734 of which were permanent positions, and 112 of which were temporary positions. The number of eligible voters was 5,961,987.

As always, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev participated in the voting in this year's municipal elections. This is also a manifestation of the attention and importance the head of state attaches to the future activities of municipalities.

Although municipalities in Azerbaijan are independent bodies, this independence granted to them is not understood as leaving municipalities outside the control of the state and civil society. Municipalities, being a form of civil society in the country, are responsible to the state and society. They are directly responsible for solving socio-economic issues of local importance.

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