Lithuanian observer: Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan were democratic

By Trend

Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan were held in conditions of democracy and transparency, Valerijus Simulik, the international observer and head of the Lithuanian-Azerbaijani Interparliamentary Friendship Group, said at a press conference on the results of the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, Trend reports Feb. 10.

Simulik noted that he had repeatedly been an observer in the elections in Azerbaijan.

“We visited 15 polling stations of three constituencies, including the Jojug Marjanli settlement,” the observer said. “There were not only parties' members, but also independent representatives among the observers.”

The head of the interparliamentary friendship group also touched upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Simulik noted that the members of the Lithuanian-Azerbaijani Interparliamentary Friendship Group are well informed about the problem of occupation of Azerbaijani lands. The international observer expressed hope that this problem will find its fair solution, and Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity will be restored.

The parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan on February 9. Some 1,314 candidates were registered within the early parliamentary elections. The candidacies of 246 people were nominated by 19 political parties, 1,057 were self-nominated, 11 - by initiative groups.

Twenty-one percent accounted for female candidates while 79 percent – male candidates.

As many as 5,426 permanent polling stations operated in 125 constituencies of the country.

Some 883 international observers and 77,790 local observers were monitoring the voting process. Among the local observers, 35,152 were representatives of political parties. International observers represented 58 countries and 59 organizations.