Azerbaijani elections need public control over candidates' funds, participants of Baku conference state

In Azerbaijan, election campaigns are held in unequal conditions, since candidates from the ruling party use administrative resource. This was stated by participants of the conference held in Baku. They have called on the society to organize public control over the funds of candidates and provide them with equal access to the media.

The conference "Monitoring of use of public resources during election campaigns" was held on May 30 within the project of three NPOs: the Centre for Economic Research, the Public Association for Democratic Reforms and Human Rights and the Caucasus Centre for Media Studies with the support of the European Union.

In particular, Gubad Ibadoglu, the head of the Centre for Economic Research (CER), has mentioned the use of administrative resources during election campaigns in Azerbaijan. According to him, Azerbaijan faces a common practice, when public and municipal employees and employees of budgetary institutions in the field of education and health care are used for collecting signatures and pre-election campaigning.

During the discussion, Nureddin Mamedli, Deputy Chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), has also claimed non-transparency of election campaigns in Azerbaijan.

"Even basic concepts are not respected. At the presidential election of 2013, Djamil Gasanli, Chairman of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), was the only candidate, who gave to the public his income declaration. He demanded that the Central Election Commission (CEC) should make public the declaration submitted by his opponent Ilham Aliev. However, the CEC refused to do that," Nureddin Mamedli said.

The CEC has refused to comment on the criticism voiced at the conference and referred to lack of information concerning that issue.

See earlier reports: Head of the ODIHR OSCE condemns Anar Mamedli's conviction in Azerbaijan, Baku court sentences founder of "Stop toadies!" Facebook group to 5.5 years in prison, In Baku, oppositionists and journalists tell French President about human rights violations in Azerbaijan.