Translated material
The opposition abandoned the boycott
“New Azerbaijan” nominated the most candidates
Today in Azerbaijan the preliminary results of the elections to the parliament of the fourth convocation will be known. Despite it being a Sunday, already in the morning many residents of the capital flocked to the polling stations in order to, having fulfilled their constitutional duty, then go about their business. The un-autumn-like warm sunny day was conducive to a good rest with a trip to nature, watching a new show at the newly opened Baku Dolphinarium.690 candidates from 33 parties competed for 125 deputy seats in the Millimejlis (parliament). Of these, 107 candidates were nominated by the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (New Azerbaijan). The elections were observed by 859 observers from 70 countries, as well as more than 30 thousand representatives of local parties and public organizations.
To prevent fraud, web cameras were installed at polling stations. As the head of the Central Election Commission, Mazahir Panakhov, told Vremya Novostei, “minor violations of a technical nature were quickly eliminated.” “We asked at polling stations about complaints from voters, but so far there have been no comments. Normal voting is going on, and people are in a good mood,” said the head of the CIS observation mission, Sergei Lebedev.
These elections were unusually calm. This time the authorities allowed opposition candidates to participate in the elections. The opposition bloc was represented by the chairman of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan Ali Kerimov, the leader of the Musavat party Isa Gambar, the chairman of the Civil Solidarity Party Sabir Rustamkhanly and others. This year the opposition was less radical, abandoning the tactics of boycotting elections and holding protests.