Azerbaijani top official: Parliamentary elections to be "very active"

The upcoming parliamentary elections will be "very active" in Azerbaijan, head of the Presidential Administration's Social and Political Department Ali Hasanov said today at a conference on the inadmissibility of the unlawful interference in the electoral process.

Unlike previous elections, all of the major political parties will participate in the electoral process this year and, "this will strengthen the elections," he said.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled for Nov. 7. Previous legislative elections were held in November 2005. Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan are held by the majority system in 125 electoral constituencies.

Hasanov stressed, that the main role of the executive powers is to create a beneficial atmosphere for the elections and to ensure that their offices function normally on election day. All of the necessary measures must be taken to ensure that the elections proceed lawfully, he said.

"The executive powers must carry out all of the tasks assigned to them," Hasanov said. "Administrative resources should not work to support one candidate or another."

The conference was held as part of an informational session held under the auspices of the OSCE Baku Office, CEC, and Presidential Administration. The session discusses the inadmissibility of unlawful interference by the heads of executive power and the chairmen of district election commissions in the electoral process. Sessions will also be held in Shirvan on Sept. 21, Mingachevir on Sept. 22 and Nakhchivan on Sept. 24.


/Trend/