The spokesman for the European External Action Service regretted, on Tuesday 11 February, the lack of competition in the early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan on 9 February.
Members of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party and candidates loyal to the government reportedly won the elections by a wide margin.
“According to the OSCE/ODIHR’s preliminary assessment, despite a high number of candidates, the restrictive legislation and political environment prevented genuine competition in the elections”, the spokesman regretted in a statement. According to him, some opposition parties boycotted the elections due to the restrictive environment, while other candidates were prevented from running by the country’s failure to execute rulings of the European Court of Human Rights concerning violations of the right to free elections.
“The European Union regrets that long-standing recommendations made by the OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission still have to be addressed”, the spokesman said, adding that the Union stands ready to assist in this process.
On the positive side, the Central Election Commission made a concerted effort to act transparently and welcome international observers, he said.
Despite the lack of competition, the EU looks forward to continuing dialogue and working closely with the newly elected Parliament, according to the spokesman. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)