AZERBAIJAN: POLITICS - Opposition presidential candidate nominated by the National Council of Democratic Forces, Jamil Hasanly, cast his ballot as election monitors observe

Record ID: 218333

  • Title: AZERBAIJAN: POLITICS - Opposition presidential candidate nominated by the National Council of Democratic Forces, Jamil Hasanly, cast his ballot as election monitors observe
  • Date: 9th October 2013
  • Summary: BAKU AZERBAIJAN (OCTOBER 9, 2013) (REUTERS) AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JAMIL HASANLY REGISTERING TO VOTE, TAKING BALLOT, WALKING TOWARDS VOTING CABIN CAMERAS HASANLY CASTING BALLOT, PAN TO MEDIA VARIOUS PEOPLE ON BAKU STREETS PEOPLE ENTERING AND EXITING POLLING STATION PEOPLE GETTING REGISTERED TO VOTE MEN WITH BALLOTS LEAVING VOTING CABIN MAN CASTING B
  • Embargoed: 24th October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Azerbaijan
  • Country: Azerbaijan
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA44X9AOO66HPVKJJ850PAY0MH
  • Story Text: Azerbaijan's presidential candidate Jamil Hasanly, who was chosen by the National Council of Democratic Forces to challenge incumbent President Ilham Aliyev, cast his ballot on Wednesday (October 9) in a vote where his mighty opponent is expected to win the the third persistent term.
    Last August the National Council of Democratic Forces chose Jamil Hasanly, a 61-year-old historian, as its second choice to challenge 51-year-old Aliyev, after their first choice, famous screenwriter Rustam Ibragimbekov, was barred from running by the country's Central Election Commission for his dual Russian-Azerbaijani citizenship.
    Although the opposition has united for the first time behind a single candidate, Jamil Hasanly, analyst end even his opponents say the latest effort poses no threat to Aliyev.
    Jamil Hasanly and united opposition warned the voters against election rigging and promised his supporters to hold the street protest if the election is not free and fair.
    Most independent analysts, however, doubt that Azerbaijan's opposition candidate will be able to beat in today's elections, but many say President Aliyev will have to address burning issues like corruption and human rights abuses.
    Human rights groups have repeatedly criticised the record of Aliyev and his father. But Azerbaijan's strategic location, for energy exports to Europe and as a transit route for U.S. troops to reach Afghanistan, has cushioned it from Western criticism, rights activists say.
    Ilham Aliyev, 51, was first elected president in October 2003 as the handpicked successor to his predecessor, his ailing father Heydar, who died two months later. He won 76 percent of the vote in 2003 and was re-elected in 2008 with 89 percent. Both elections were criticised by Western monitors.
    A referendum in 2009 abolished presidential term limits, enabling Aliyev to run again.
    Jamil Hasanly said that following a skewed pre-election campaign, he believed the poll would be rigged in favour of Aliyev.
    International observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly started visiting polling stations in Azerbaijan as voting in presidential election got underway on Wednesday (October 9).
    The International election observation mission, represented by the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament (EP), dispatched up to 300 hundred long-term and short-term observers to monitor the entire election process including the vote day.

    "Elections are always a test of democracy in every country. And it's the same for Azerbaijan. We are here just to observe. We are not part of the process, so to say. It is the stakeholders in Azerbaijan and especially the authorities of Azerbaijan that are responsible for the conduct of this process," said Janez Lenarcic, member of the OSCE-ODIHR election observation mission as he was visiting one of Baku polling stations.

    "It is our hope that the process will be, how would I say, transparent. We'll see what we can say. At the moment we cannot say much, because the process is still ongoing," Lenarcic added.
    More then five million officially registered voters are expected to cast their ballots in slightly more then 5.000 poling stations throughout the country and abroad.
    The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has in the past rated Azerbaijan's elections as falling short of international standards. It has observed eight elections in Azerbaijan since 1995, including the most recent 2008 presidential election and the 2010 parliamentary elections.
    This election is seen by analysts as the least competitive and predictable with the incumbent President Ilham Aliyev looks certain to gain a third five-year term in power, extending his family's rule in the oil-producing South Caucasus state. Opinion polls showed Aliyev far ahead in a field of 10 candidates. Opposition leaders have applied to Baku city authorities to hold a rally on Saturday, bracing for a potential defeat.

    "I voted for people to live even better than now. At present I'm very satisfied with our president very much. All members of my family, even my granddaughter will vote for our president with a big pleasure," said Gulnara Muslimzade, a doctor from Baku after casting her ballot.
    Polls will close in Azerbaijan at 1900 local time (1400 GMT) and first results of the vote tabulation expected to start appearing in Central Election Commission after midnight (1900 GMT).
    The International Election Observation Mission will present its preliminary post-election assessment at a news conference on Thursday (October 10) in capital Baku.
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