Parliamentary Elections, 1 November 2015

Following an invitation from the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan to observe the 1 November 2015 parliamentary elections, and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) undertook a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) to Azerbaijan from 12 to 14 August. The NAM included Richard Lappin, OSCE/ODIHR Senior Election Adviser, and Radivoje Grujić, OSCE/ODIHR Election Adviser.

The purpose of the mission was to assess the pre-election environment and the preparations for the elections. Based on this assessment, the NAM recommends whether to deploy an OSCE/ODIHR election-related activity for the forthcoming elections, and if so, what type of activity best meets the identified needs. Meetings were held with officials from state institutions and the election administration, as well as with representatives of political parties, media, civil society, and the international community. A list of meetings is annexed to this report.