- Azerbaijan Parliamentary Elections: Country profusely set to enter the next stage of progress, prosperity and stability
- 1637 including 357 women are in the field, Polling will start at 8.00AM and will continue till 7.00 PM
by Riaz A Malik
BAKU: Azerbaijan is all set to enter the next stage of progress and prosperity under the prized leadership of President Ilham Aliyev on February 9. The reforms carried out by the President are aimed at improving the living standard of masses, transparency in governance and sustainable development of the country, which in fact are very crucial for the future of the country.
The Azerbaijanis are fully prepared to elect one hundred and twenty five MPs for the Milli Majlis for the next five years. The elections are scheduled to take place on Sunday and the eagerness of the voters is on the rise with every passing day.
As far as the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan is concerned it has made elaborate arrangements for the conduct of the free and fair elections in the country. It provided all the contesting political parties and candidates’ equal opportunities to reach the potential supporters and motivate them for votes. To raise awareness among the masses and contenders it conducted workshops about the Registration of candidates, media coverage, handling of appeals on violation of electoral laws, judicial settlements of disputes and training of the electoral staff.
It is noteworthy that in all 1637 candidates are in the field including 357 women and 272 represent 19 different political parties.
According to Mr. Shahin Asadli, the head of the Central Election Commission’s Media Affairs Department, in all 5573 Polling Stations have been established and that the elections will cover 125 constituencies where the voting will begin at 8.00 in the morning and will continue till 7.00 in the evening. He further said that 5387600 ballot papers have been printed for the purpose and the process of creating polling stations in military units, prisons and pre-trial detention facilities has also been completed.
Meanwhile, international organizations are taking keen interest in the elections in Azerbaijan. Observers from different countries and Organizations have poured in to monitor this huge and significant exercise. Similarly, media men are also present and are still arriving to report the elections. A delegation of Observers and journalists from Pakistan is already in Baku for the same purpose. On the invitation of Azerbaijani authorities a delegation of about 60 PA members of OSCE will also be in Baku to monitor the polling.
On his part, the Chairman of the Central Election of Azerbaijan
Mr. Mazahir Panahov has said that with the passage of time the electoral system and the electoral practices have improved in his country and now reached at the current level of satisfaction. In a statement he said that webcams have also been installed at a large number of polling stations to monitor the voting process. Accordingly, any person can visit the website of the Central Election Commission and observe the voting process. Meanwhile, 4264 people from different parts of the country applied for observing the exercise and all of them have been registered.
