Azerbaijan: after elections, independent candidates face fraud and slander accusations

The independent candidates, who have claimed violations after municipal elections in Azerbaijan, now face accusations themselves. The blogger, Mekhman Guseinov, was accused of falsifying the vote; and Rabiya Mamedova, an activist, was charged with defamation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that municipal elections were held in Azerbaijan on December 23. They were accompanied by numerous violations of the law, the independent candidates and activists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have stated.

Mekhman Guseinov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that his complaint about violations during elections to the municipality of the neighbourhood of Garachukhur in Baku was not objectively considered. According to his story, the constituency election commission (CEC) came to the conclusion that violation facts were not confirmed.

"Moreover, it follows from the CEC's answer that I myself had committed violations. Thus, our complaint had stated that ballot stuffing (throw-in) took place at the polls, as well as 'carousels' and voting of persons who had been brought from other districts. I presented photo and video proofs and demanded to cancel the officially announced outcomes and to recount the votes. But now, they accuse me of stuffing, 'carousels' and bringing voters from other districts with the aim of falsification," said Mr Guseinov.

Now, he intends to submit his materials to the Prosecutor's Office.

The complaint of the activist, Rabiya Mamedova, who ran for the municipality of the Binagadi settlement of Baku, was also rejected.

"They told me that all the 'carousels' and stuffing were organized by me. Moreover, they opened a criminal case against me. Matant Nasibova, a member of the Binagadi municipal council, filed a lawsuit against me to protect the honour and dignity," Ms Mamedova told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 1, 2020 at 06:58 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.