Baku News

URGENT: Azerbaijan elections failed to meet international norms - OSCE

BAKU, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - Parliamentary elections held in Azerbaijan Sunday failed to meet international norms and democratic standards, the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's monitoring group said Monday.

European observers positive about Azerbaijani vote

BAKU. Nov 7 (Interfax) - European Parliament observer mission head Anne Isler Beguin said the November 6 parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan have made a good impression on her team. "It was the first election in Azerbaijan we monitored. On the whole, we have a positive impression of the election, despite reports on violations during the pre-election period, particularly due to a ban on rallies," Beguin told a news conference in Baku on Monday. International observers found the voting process at 87% of the polling stations they visited satisfactory, she said. Violations such as steps by the authorities to intervene in the voting process were registered as well, she said. "The elections proceeded normally, except for the vote counting. We call on the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan to move rapidly to begin looking into complaints related to reported violations," Beguin said.