About 700 international observers will monitor presidential elections in Azerbaijan

According to Mazahir Panahov, Chairman of CEC, almost 700 international observers have been registered to monitor the upcoming elections on 9 October.

Currently, about 30 ODIHR long-term observers are deployed in the country and 280 more experts of this European structure are expected t o arrive a few days before the elections. CIS will also deploy an extensive mission of about 300 members, having already deployed a team of 20 long-term observers. About 40 observers will be deployed by the PA CE.

IPA CIS Observation Team is part of the CIS mission. It has about 30 members, including MPs from seven Commonwealth countries, analysts, researchers, and IIMDD IPA CIS staff.

The Observation Team, coordinated by Leonid Sloutskiy, Chairman of the State Douma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Outreach to Compatriotic Communities, Head of the State Douma delegation at the Permanent Mission of the Federal Assembly to the IPA CIS, is monitoring the pre-election process in every detail. As part of long-term and short-term monitoring, the members of the team visit district and local elecoms, meet CEC leadership, the authorities, political parties, presidential candidates, civil society, the media, and international organizations monitoring elections in Azerbaijan. On the elections day, the observers will supervise the opening of polling stations, the process of voting, calculation of ballots and drawing of results.

As an outcome of the monitoring, the observation team will issue its findings on the day following the elections.