Observers point to violations at registering candidates in Azerbaijan

The election campaign for the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan passes amid restriction of political freedoms and absence of favourable competitive environment, says the report of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Training (CEMDT).

The CEMDT has noted that "compared with the previous parliamentary elections in 2015, the political activeness has increased, same as the number of independent and oppositional candidates." However, the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) and the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), which is a part thereof, have refused to participate in the elections "due to the absence of trust in the fairness thereof."

At the same time, the oppositional “Musavat”, Republican Movement, and the “Nida” Movement Parties are running for the seats in the parliament.

"The election campaign is characterized by limited opportunities for fair political competition. On the eve of the elections, no restrictions on political freedoms, in particular, on the freedoms of assembly, association and self-expression were eliminated," Anar Mamedli, the CEMDT chairman, told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

According to his story, "the presence of 112 political prisoners in the country, including five journalists, is also negatively affecting the democratic elections."

Elgiz Gakhramanov, a candidate for an MP from the “Movement” bloc, a “Nida” activist and a former political prisoner, and Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Centre for Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan and a former "prisoner of conscience", have stated that they had been unreasonably denied registration.