Nuran Niyazaliyev: SCO positively assesses Milli Majlis elections in Azerbaijan

Deputy Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Nuran Niyazaliyev told the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza about the SCO's assessment of the elections to the 7th convocation of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis held yesterday.

"The SCO observation mission worked here for several days. Members of our mission visited polling stations before the election day, got acquainted with the preparations for voting at polling stations, as well as the readiness of members of election commissions. We noted that the polling stations were fully prepared," he said in the first place.

"On election day, we have been visiting polling stations since early morning. We saw citizens of Azerbaijan coming to the polling stations, voting freely, exercising their right to express their will and electing deputies to the Milli Majlis. We talked with citizens, the media outlets, with representatives of the polling station commissions, with international and local observers - all of them expressed no concerns over the voting process when we were at the polling stations," Nuran Niyazaliyev said.

"Everyone stressed the polling stations and commissions are well-prepared, while the voting process is well-coordinated. Based on the results of our observation, we prepared a statement of the SCO observer mission. We came to the conclusion that the elections were legitimate, transparent and open. The elections were democratic. Citizens had the opportunity to freely express their will, vote for one candidate or another. We haven't received any complaints from voters. We also did not record any serious violations during the voting and the vote counting process," the SCO Deputy Secretary General said.

"Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the Azerbaijani side, the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan for creating such good conditions for international observers. The invitation of international observers is already a big step and achievement, as it shows the readiness of the country's leadership and the Central Election Commission to hold the elections openly, transparently, fairly and honestly. For us, international observers, the most important thing is that the elections complied with national legislation in the field of citizens' electoral rights," he noted.

"Of course, the fulfillment of the country's international obligations is also important. In this regard, I can say that the voting process and the elections clearly complied with the country's national legislation and its international obligations, which also confirms the legitimacy of the elections to the 7th convocation of Milli Majlis," Nuran Niyazaliyev concluded.