© Photo: Maria Novoselova/ Vestnik Kavkaza
Deputy Chairman of the Turkish ruling party Ibrahim Khalil Korkmaz, who arrived in Azerbaijan with the ICAPP delegation to observe the Milli Majlis elections, told Vestnik Kavkaza about the high level of organization of the voting process and the absence of violations and incidents at the polling stations.
In an interview with a Vestnik Kavkaza correspondent, Deputy Chairman of the Justice and Development Party of Türkiye for International Affairs Ibrahim Khalil Korkmaz spoke about the process of voting that is taking place in Azerbaijan from the point of view of international observers. Ibrahim Khalil Korkmaz arrived in Baku with the delegation of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP).
"We arrived in Baku yesterday, and today we have already visited 7 polling stations. We saw that the authorities at all the stations had prepared everything necessary for the voting according to the law. Several hours have passed, and we have not recorded any violations or events that raise questions. And I would also like to note such an important detail as a very relaxed atmosphere during the elections," he said.
"Elections in eastern countries are usually very heated, but here, as I see, people are calmer and more stable. Observation at the polling stations is very well organized, we meet many observers. Elections are the foundation of democracy, and we welcome the fact that today, the Azerbaijani people are choosing their representatives in the Milli Majlis," the deputy chairman of the Justice and Development Party emphasized.
The Turkish politician also noted the high turnout in the parliamentary elections. "Today is Sunday, but at all 7 polling stations that we have already visited, about 1,400-1,600 people had voted by midday, that is, 25-30% of voters. I think that by the end of the day, over 70% of voters will participate in the elections. This is a very good indicator," Ibrahim Halil Korkmaz said.
The deputy chairman of the Turkish ruling party admitted that he is working as an observer at elections in Azerbaijan for the first time. "This is the first time I work as an international observer at elections in our brotherly country, Azerbaijan. I am not a parliamentarian, but in general, over 30 deputies from Türkiye are observing the elections to the Milli Majlis today," he concluded.