Ombudsman Office and CEC hold round table on extraordinary elections to Milli Majlis

A round table on "Ensuring Citizens' Electoral Rights" was organized in connection with the early elections to the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, jointly by the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Central Election Commission (CEC). The event was attended by representatives from both institutions, as well as media representatives, Azernews reports.

Opening the event, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Mazahir Panahov, spoke about the importance of large-scale awareness-raising projects organized jointly with relevant state institutions in conducting free, fair, and transparent elections. He discussed the efforts and steps taken to further improve election legislation and practices, and emphasized that appropriate conditions had been created for the organization of parliamentary elections at a high level, in accordance with legal requirements and international standards.

Highlighting the responsibilities of media entities in the election process, the CEC Chairman also drew attention to the comprehensive and extensive opportunities created for local and international observation of the elections.

Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva noted that joint educational events would be implemented to increase the awareness level of election participants for the more effective provision of citizens' electoral rights and the comprehensive development of the electoral system. She mentioned that a calendar plan for these events had already been approved and necessary steps had been taken towards its implementation, in collaboration with the CEC, ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The Commissioner emphasized that the conduct of elections in accordance with the Electoral Code reaffirmed the country's commitment to the principles of building a legal, democratic state, ensuring human rights and freedoms, and developing national legislation.

Furthermore, the Ombudsperson and her Office's staff, as well as regional center employees, would independently observe the early parliamentary elections in Baku and across the country's regions, based on positive experience from previous years.

Sabina Aliyeva also provided her recommendations for more effective provision of electoral rights, based on the experience gained from the activities carried out by the Ombudsman institution during previous elections.

Following this, Ilkin Shahbazov, a member of the Central Election Commission, delivered a report on "Constitutional and Legislative Opportunities for Effective Provision of Electoral Rights," highlighting that the country's existing electoral legislation and purposeful steps taken towards high-level election conduct created conditions for voters to freely and openly exercise their constitutional rights.

During his speech on "The Importance of the Observation Institute and the Role of the Ombudsman in This Process," Aydin Safikhanli, head of the Ombudsman's Office, discussed the importance of implementing the observation institute during the election process. He stated that the observation institute contributed to the protection of citizens' electoral rights, the elimination of potential shortcomings during the election process, and the creation of an atmosphere of openness and transparency, and spoke about the Ombudsman institution's observation experience.