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Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry comments on Department of Stateâ€™s statement on parliamentary elections

09 November 2010 16:15 (UTC +04:00)

Foreign Ministryâ€™s press service told APA that the statement had caused surprise and regret in Azerbaijan. As a rule the statement issued by the Department of State on the elections in any country does not essentially differ from the assessments of the elections by international organizations.
â€œThe Department of State says that the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan did not meet international standards. The statement refers to the assessment of the election observation missions of the OSCE/ODIHR, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, European Parliament. But the referred document does not contain similar assessment.â€

Foreign Ministry says the statement issued by the international organizations notes some shortcomings and says the elections were characterized by a peaceful atmosphere, all opposition parties participated in the political process, the observation missions assessed the voting positively in 90 percent of the polling stations. It shows that overall the elections won the confidence of the people.
â€œThe Azerbaijani government notes that conduct of democratic, fair and transparent elections is the main target of the state, praises the positive activities carried out in this field, the Central Election Commission and the relevant state bodies will investigate the shortcomings observed and take necessary steps.â€