Aliyev Committed to Extending His Power Through Rigged Elections, Says Azerbaijan National Council

The National Council of Democratic Forces of Azerbaijan has appealed to the international community, calling for non-recognition of the results of the snap parliamentary elections held on September 1 in Azerbaijan.

The statement released by the Council states that the scheduling of elections on September 1 was unconstitutional and that they were held in the absence of genuine political competition. No measures have been taken in accordance with the interests of the ruling regime regarding amendments to electoral legislation.

The authorities did not allow a delegation from the PACE to carry out an observation mission during the elections and prohibited the entry of 76 members of the Assembly into Azerbaijan.

According to the Council, the elections took place against a backdrop of arrests and imprisonment of 13 journalists who had professional experience in covering the elections, the majority of voters did not participate, and those who did were involved through administrative resources.

“Ilham Aliyev has remained true to the tradition of extending his power through rigged elections. For this reason, the National Council has decided to boycott the fraudulent elections,” the statement reads.

The National Council calls on the people to actively fight for the conduct of new democratic elections and urges the international community to not recognize the false election results and to condemn the processes of electoral fraud.