New candidates submit document to Azerbaijan’s electoral body

Two new candidates, self - promoted Elshan Hasanov and Ismayil Yusifov suggested documents to the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan for participation in the upcoming presidential elections, CEC Spokesman Azer Sariyev said on August 15.

Earlier, the CEC received documents from 12 candidates, including chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, chairman of the Azadlig Party Ahmed Oruj, Citizens and Development Party leader Ali Aliyev, Liberal - Democratic Party leader Fuad Aliyev, lawyer, self - promoted Ilgar Mammadov (Altai), chairman of the Umid Party Igbal Aghazade, leader of the United People's Front Party Gudrat Hasanguliyev, Social - Democratic Party chairman Araz Alizade, Modern Musavat Party leader Hafiz Hajiyev, self - promoted Zahid Oruj, the leader of the National Revival Party Faraj Guliyev and director of the East - West research center Arastun Orujly.

The number of registered candidates is six, including Ilham Aliyev, Ahmed Oruj, Ilgar Mammadov (Altai), Igbal Aghazade, Fuad Aliyev and Ali Aliyev.

The presidential elections will be held in Azerbaijan on October 9.

According to the Azerbaijani Constitution, the president of Azerbaijan is elected for a five-year term through general, direct and equal elections, by free, private and secret voting.

Azerbaijani citizens who have the right of election, an initiative group of electors, political parties and blocs of political parties have the right to nominate candidates.

The documents of the candidates are to be submitted to the CEC from August 20 to September 9.

A candidate who gets a signature list should return it within a week and after that the CEC will solve the issue regarding his/her official registration.

The official election campaign will begin 23 days before the election. It will take place from September 19 to October 8.

Free airtime and space for publications will be allocated for registered presidential candidates as part of the pre-election campaign. Free air time will be allocated to the candidates on Public Television and Radio Broadcasting company, while space for publications will be provided in Azerbaijan, Khalq Gazeti, Respublika and Bakinskiy Rabochiy newspapers.

If other broadcasters and periodicals decide to allocate paid air time and space for publication within the pre-election campaign, they are required to notify the CEC. Information about the conditions and payment is to be published no later than 35 days after the official announcement of the decision to schedule the elections.

Monitoring of elections

The Baku office of the International Institute for Monitoring Democratic and Parliamentary Process and Suffrage Protection of Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) announced that it started the long term monitoring of the presidential elections in Azerbaijan.

Headquarters of expert groups were established in Baku and five regions of the country, in particular Sumgayit, Gusar, Ganja, Sheki and Lankaran.

According to the approved plan, experts will conduct long term monitoring of organization and conduction of the presidential elections.

Headquarters will operate till October 9. The results of monitoring will be reflected at the progress report of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS.

To date, 37 persons have applied for participation in the elections as observers and they will be given appropriate certification in the near future.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on August 15 that Baku has invited international organizations to observe the upcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, the OSCE PA said that it will not send its observers to the presidential elections.