Domestic

Home page

Domestic

Head of OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission: â€˜Our work is not to criticize, but to observeâ€™

29 August 2013 13:14 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Victoria Dementieva – APA. ‘Our work is not to criticize, but to observe. We can give necessary recommendations in case of necessity to improve the situation’, head of OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission Tana de Zulueta said at the press conference, APA reports.

She noted that OSCE approaches all the participating countries with the same standards: ‘We do not judge the result, as an observer, our goal is to stay neutral. This will be the ninth elections in Azerbaijan to be observed by OSCE/ODIHR. In the upcoming elections, the observers will assess the elections in compliance with the commitments undertaken by the member states vis-à-vis the OSCE. The mission starts operating today. It will follow all stages of the elections, the course of the election campaign, the activities of election commissions, and media coverage of the campaigns, media's role in these elections’.

Tana de Zulueta said long-term observers will monitor the election process in the regions, two observers will be sent to every region.

The mission will make two interim reports on the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, the final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately eight weeks after the elections. The day after the election, ODIHR will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. Tana de Zulueta said the mission will stay in Azerbaijan by October 19.

Head of the mission expressed her gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for invitation to observe the elections.

Long-term observation mission, headed by Tana de Zulueta, consists of 13 international experts based in Baku. In addition, 30 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 11 September 2013.

OSCE/ODIHR short-term mission will include 280 observers.

The OSCE/ODIHR is observing the elections at the invitation of the Azerbaijani government. The OSCE/ODIHR has observed eight elections in Azerbaijan since 1995, including the most recent 2008 presidential election.