By Vestnik Kavkaza
According to preliminary results of the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, the winner is the current head of the state, Ilham Aliyev ,who gained 84.73% of the vote. The second place is taken by the representative of the National Council Dzhamil Hasanli (5.2%) and the representative of Umid Party Igbal Agazade (2.31%). The huge gap between the leader and other candidates was predicted. Obviously, it will be calmly accepted in Azerbaijan and the world. At the same time, probably the opposition and the Western mass media will criticize the authorities for holding “non-democratic” elections.
However, all Western observers who monitored the process of voting told Vestnik Kavkaza that the elections were held without violations.
“It’s our opinion and our impression. We were in about 25 poll stations, and never there was any sign of incorrect… of violation of any rule. No complaints. Of course we asked the observers: “Do you have complaints?”, but nobody said he had any complaints. Everything was good,” the former German MP, resigned Parliamentary Official Secretary Eduard Lintner told Vestnik Kavkaza.
The chairman of the Communist Party in the Czech Republic and Moravia Wojciech Philipp told Vestnik KAvkaza that the elections matched corresponding European standards: “I visited 12 ballot stations; everything was good organized there, observers were present, first of all, local, Azeri observers. We met observers from Belgium, Indonesia and other countries and European organizations. I saw nothing which violated the voting process and was against election laws.”
“Nobody can put in doubt the fact of legitimacy of the presidential elections in Azerbaijan,” the member of the Ukrainian parliamentary observing group, Professor Oleg Zarubinsky told Vestnik Kavkaza and stressed that the elections were friendly, calm and democratic. “Why can we say so? We visited 10 ballot stations – not only in Baku, but also in regions, provinces, in five election districts. We visited them not only on the voting day, but also a day before, as we wanted to see moral attitudes of potential voters. We saw that everybody who wanted to vote had all opportunities to do it in a secret, but democratic atmosphere.”
Oleg Zarubinsky also noted that Ukraine and Azerbaijan traditionally had good relations: “We have never had serious conflicts. Our development can be mutually beneficial. Secondly, it can be more and more effective and productive year by year. Several projects which unite Ukraine and Azerbaijan in the sphere of energy, agriculture are promising. I would like to note friendly relations between leaders of our countries – they are really good, respectful and confidential.”
Commenting on the elections in Azerbaijan, the member of the Texas Congress, Solomon Ortiz, told Vestnik Kavkaza: “I think it was a challenge for Azerbaijan. Democratic seeds were sown, now we wait for trees. Of course there will be mistakes, and the authorities will have to provide reforms in the country, but I think democratic seeds are already in soil and they grow in a right direction.” Ortiz visited a lot of ballot stations and heard about one complaint from a member of an opposition party that observers stayed too far and couldn’t see passports of voters. “But we could see that staff of ballot stations had IDs. We had no questions about it,” Solomon Ortiz said. Last time he visited Baku in 1998. “We had recognized the importance of the state even then and that its people could sow democratic seeds. Now I can see great changes.”
George Birnbaum, senior partner of Agf & Associates which conducted exit-poll at the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, told Vestnik Kavkaza that “we have 1635 people around the country, 835 polling stations, and we were expecting voters to come basing on a number of interviews. We’ve got them much quicker than we expected which meant that there are many more people voting at the higher rate than we expected them to. That’s what is encouraging in democracy – when all the people vote. I can tell you that the U. S. would be very envious to have the percent of voters that vote in the Azerbaijan elections. In America we have 60-65%, here it’s public polls for 80%. It’s an enormous number, and they should be very proud,” Birnbaum said and added that the process of voting was controlled by video camers.
