ELECTION MONITORING 251 GEN 05 E Original: English NAT O   Pa rl i a me n t a ry  As s e mb l y MONITORING OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN AZERBAIJAN SECRETARIAT REPORT 4 - 7 NOVEMBER 2005 International Secretariat 23 November 2005 This Secretariat Report is presented for information only and does not necessarily represent the official view of the Assembly. Assembly documents are available on its website, http://www.nato-pa.int

251 GEN 05 E 1 1. Nine members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly took part in the International Election Observation  Mission  (IEOM)  for  the  parliamentary  elections  in  Azerbaijan  on  6  November  2005. Michael Clapham, Chairman of the NATO PA Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security and Loïc Bouvard, former President of the NATO PA, led the delegation. 2. The  IEOM  consisted  of  delegations  from  the  OSCE  Office  for  Democratic  Institutions  and Human  Rights  (ODIHR),  the  OSCE  Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament. 3. On Friday 4 and Saturday 5 November, ODIHR experts, election officials and representatives from political parties, from the media, and from NGOs, briefed the participants. Of key interest was the extent to which Azerbaijan corrected the electoral shortcomings identified by the OSCE in the 2003 presidential election. 4. The parliamentary elections represented an important test for the Azerbaijani authorities who had committed to organising free and fair elections. In its reports on the pre-election situation, the OSCE  had  noted  some  progress  and  several  demonstrations  of  goodwill  on  the  part  of  the authorities, including the late introduction of finger inking to prevent multiple voting. 5. On  Sunday  6  November,  the  observers  formed  two-person  teams  deployed  in  polling stations  in  and  around  Baku.  They  typically  observed  the  opening  of  a  polling  station,  toured several   others   during   the   day   and   finished   with   the   observation   of   a   count.   Overall,   160 parliamentary  observers  were  deployed  across  the  country,  out  of  a  total  of  640  short-term observers.   6. On Monday 7 November, the IEOM presented their preliminary findings and conclusions to the press in a packed conference room at the Hyatt Hotel Baku. 7. The IEOM concluded that “the 6 November parliamentary elections did not meet a number of OSCE commitments and Council of Europe standards and commitments for democratic elections”. This   statement   relied   on   a   comparative   analysis   of   the   positive   developments   and   the shortcomings  observed  before  and  during  the  elections.  The  common  statement  enounces  that “while there were improvements in some respects during the pre-election period, (…) uncertainty was  evident  with  regard  to  key  aspects  of  the  process  (…),  and  continued  r estrictions  on  the freedom  of  assembly  (…)  marred  the  campaign  period.  While  voting  was  generally  calm,  the election   day   process   deteriorated   progressively   during   the   counting   and,   in   particular,   the tabulation  of  the  votes”.  The  counting  process  led  to  the  most significant and serious violations. OSCE observers assessed the ballot counting as bad or very bad in 43% of counts observed. 8. Loïc Bouvard read the NATO PA statement, which also underlined this ambivalent picture. He  praised  the  presence  of  local observers in many polling stations, while noting that there had been reports of impediments to the free exercise by these observers of their duties. He concluded that  although  “these  elections  represent  a  step  forward,  a  lot  still  remains  to  be  done  for Azerbaijan to organise free and fair elections in full accordance with international standards”. 9. The NATO PA had another opportunity to discuss the outcome of the Azerbaijani elections during its annual session in Copenhagen, which was held only a few days later. On November 15, the NATO PA adopted a Declaration on Parliamentary Elections in Azerbaijan [234 SC 05 E bis], urging  Azerbaijani  authorities  to  resolve  all  disputes  over  election  results,  as  well  as  to  take necessary steps to reform electoral processes. The Declaration can be found at: http://www.nato- pa.int/Default.asp?SHORTCUT=835.

251 GEN 05 E 2 The    IEOM    Statement    of    Preliminary    Findings    and    Conclusions    can    be    accessed    at: http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2005/11/16889_en.pdf The IEOM press communiqué can be accessed at: http://www.osce.org/item/16887.html