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OSCE Office in Baku conducts roundtable on follow-up to OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission’s 2008 recommendations

08 April 2010 09:34 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. VIktoria Dementieva â€“ APA. The OSCE Office in Baku conducted a roundtable on the follow-up to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Election Observation Mission’s (EOM) 2008 recommendations. APA reports that the roundtable focused on election campaign issues, including the implementation of the Law on Freedom of Assembly and illegal interference in the election process.

Making a keynote speech at the event head of the OSCE Office in Baku Ali Bilge Cankorel said the OSCE Office in Baku was ready to help the government, political parties and civil society in improving the election process and holding the elections in accordance with the commitments undertaken vis-Ã -vis the OSCE and international standards on the democratic elections.
â€œTaking into account Azerbaijanâ€™s improvements in the previous elections and the existing problems in the election atmosphere, we intend to focus our attention in 2010 on political pluralism, election administration and fundamental rights and liberties,â€ he said.

OSCE/ODIHR First Deputy Director Douglas Wake welcomed the noticeable progress in the presidential elections in Azerbaijan in 2008.
â€œBut there is still work to be done in a number of spheres, it especially includes access to the mass media, proportional covering of the election process. After Azerbaijanâ€™s invitation OSCE is ready to assist in organizing the forthcoming parliamentary elections and send an assessment mission to assess the pre-election situation in the country,â€ he said.

Representatives of 16 political parties, civil society, international community, diplomatic missions accredited in Azerbaijan attended the roundtable.
The OSCE Office in Baku will hold two more roundtables soon. The roundtables will focus on election administration, particularly composition and leadership of election commissions, registration of candidates, consideration of election complaints and role media in the elections.