Election difficulties in Azerbaijan: Intercoms and summer absences

Snap elections in Azerbaijan

One and a half months remain until the snap elections for the Milli Majlis (Parliament of Azerbaijan). The election campaign for the candidates, who will be elected through a majoritarian system, has commenced. Currently, the candidates and their teams are busy collecting signatures to confirm their candidacy and get their names on the ballot.

However, potential parliamentary candidates have encountered unexpected issues. According to leaders of the opposition party “Republican Alternative,” the summer season and the intercoms installed at the entrances of apartment buildings are complicating their work with voters.

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Radical opposition chooses path of boycott again

The opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) has called for a boycott of the snap parliamentary elections.

“In June of this year, the Milli Majlis, without any substantial justification, decided to dissolve itself, and after this decision was confirmed by the Constitutional Court, snap elections were scheduled for September 1.

Even before the issue of snap elections was on the agenda, the PFPA repeatedly stated, as it has in the past, that there must be at least minimal conditions for elections in the country. At the very least, political prisoners should be released, rallies should be allowed, and conditions should be provided for the opposition and independent organizations to observe and monitor the election process,” the party’s statement said.

The statement further states that the PFPA “understands and supports the indifferent stance of the people towards these elections, calling on the public to massively refuse to participate in this electoral show, which does not reflect their will.”

Snap parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan are scheduled for September 1

The chairman of the opposition Musavat Party believes that a parliament formed under such conditions will not differ significantly from previous ones

Summer and intercoms

According to Natig Jafarli, one of the leaders of the opposition party “Republican Alternative,” he has put forward his candidacy for the snap parliamentary elections and has already collected 150 signatures from the 450 required voters:

“Here are some of the main problems our team members are facing:

• Three out of five voters are unaware that elections have been announced;
• It’s difficult to enter new buildings: there are codes (intercoms) on the doors, and sometimes security guards don’t allow signature collection;
• It’s summer, many people are at their dachas or in the regions, and some apartments are empty;
• There are many tenants who are not registered in the district;
• It’s hot, and since people are not home in the mornings and afternoons, our team tries to collect signatures in the evening. In this case, residents complain about being disturbed during their rest.”

Fuel and transport prices surge before Azerbaijan's parliamentary elections

“If they’ve chosen to act now rather than wait two months, it’s a sign of limited options, rising costs, and declining revenues”.

Interest in elections falls threefold

Ilgar Mammadov, former political prisoner and leader of the “Republican Alternative” party, wrote about the decline in people’s interest in the election process in Azerbaijan on his social media page:

“Interest in these elections is three times lower compared to the 2020 elections. Let’s compare. After the announcement of the previous elections, 1,320 candidates were nominated in the following 19 days. This time, only 401 candidates have been nominated in 17 days.

Moreover, all electoral districts were covered back then, but now 20 districts are completely empty, with not a single candidate nominated.”