According to the result published by the CEC regarding the snap presidential elections held in Azerbaijan on February 7, according to preliminary data, the current President of the country received more than 92% of the votes. The voter turnout was 76.73%.
The opposition called the elections rigged and demanded the annulment of their results. The opposition media distributed videos about the forgeries, and the state institutions called them fake. Opposition analysts have pointed to the active use of administrative resources, including the forced participation of public sector employees and private enterprise employees in ‘carousels’.
According to them, the mass hoaxes were used to show a high level of participation and support for Ilham Aliyev. European observers emphasized that the elections were held in conditions of limited freedoms, and the serious violations that took place in the elections cast doubt on the results of the vote counting. At the same time, election-monitoring experts are confident that Aliyev's rivals will not dispute the election results.
Observers of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Training Center recorded ballot stuffing, arrival of voters in groups and voting of unregistered voters in 105 polling stations of Azerbaijan. According to them, these violations indicate the falsification of the results of the presidential elections.
The Center's conclusions are based on information from independent observers cooperating with the organization. 117 partner observers of the center covered 105 polling stations of the republic.
According to the data of the organization, in 25% of the polling stations observed by their partners, obstacles were created for the observers' work. Some of them were subjected to psychological and physical influence and they removed from the polling stations.
It is also noted that in 5 percent of polling stations, voting started with empty and unsealed ballot boxes. In 25% of polling stations, the number of voters was not announced: in 14% it was noted that people who did not sign the list of registered voters were allowed to vote, etc.
In addition, in 12% of precincts the vote counting process was not open, in 43% the results were not correctly reflected in the protocols, in 46% observers were not provided with copies of the protocols, the organization's report states.
Human rights activists also noted that there is a difference between the official data on voter turnout and the testimonies of observers. “The participation of voters was also falsified. In some polling stations, the actual number of voters was 20% less than the official data,” said Anar Mammadli, head of the voting center.
In summary, the Election Monitoring and Democracy Training Center concludes that the snap presidential election held on February 7, due to a favorable democratic environment, equal opportunities for real political competition, and the lack of prior improvement of the Electoral Code “was held in the conditions of traditional violations and, therefore, cannot be considered free and fair.”
The organization emphasized the need to investigate the violations and bring all the culprits to justice, create conditions for free observation of the elections.
The National Council of the Opposition Democratic Forces also called on the international community not to recognize “the false results of the elections boycotted by the opposition and the people.” They believe that Ilham Aliyev once again usurped power in Azerbaijan through false elections.
