Parliamentary Elections, 6 November 2005
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Mission at a glance
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- Head of Mission: Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens (Germany)
- 11 core staff in Baku
- 30 long-term observers deployed throughout the country
- 500 short-term observers requested
- Core team and long-term observers drawn from 19 OSCE participating States
Mission schedule
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- 5 September: mission opens
- 12 September: briefing of long-term observers
- 13 September: deployment of long-term observers
- 3 November: briefing of short-term observers
- 6 November: election day
- 7 November: press conference in Baku
Following an invitation from the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the ODIHR has deployed an election observation mission (EOM) to observe the 6 November 2005 parliamentary elections.
The ODIHR conducted a needs assessment mission from 5 to 10 June 2005 in order to assess the conditions and preparations for the elections and to advise on the format and modalities of an election observation mission. The needs assessment mission recommended the deployment of a standard election observation mission.
Long-term observation
The EOM, headed by Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens (Germany), officially began work on 5 September. The EOM has a core team of 11 international experts at the head office in Baku, to be expanded to 16 by election day, and there will be 30 long-term observers deployed in teams in the regions. Core-team members and long-term observers are drawn from 18 OSCE participating States.
The EOM will assess the entire election process in terms of its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. The EOM will focus on the legislative framework and its implementation, the work of the election administration and relevant government bodies, the election campaign and the media situation, the access of domestic observers, as well as the resolution of election-related disputes.
The EOM held its opening press conference on 8 September in Baku.
Short-term observation
The ODIHR has requested the secondment of 500 short-term observers from the OSCE participating States for election day itself. The short-term observers will be deployed in teams of two throughout Azerbaijan to monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results at all levels.
On 7 November, the EOM will hold a press conference to release its Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions.
Previous elections
The ODIHR has observed a number of elections in Azerbaijan, including the 2003 presidential elections and the 2001 parliamentary elections. The ODIHR has also issued, together with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, several opinions and reviews of election-related legislation of Azerbaijan.