Newsroom
OSCE/ODIHR regrets opposition's absence from roundtable on Azerbaijan's draft election code
WARSAW 18 December 2002
WARSAW, 18 December 2002 - The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) expressed regret over the absence of major opposition parties from a roundtable on the draft Election Code of Azerbaijan, which was concluded yesterday.
The roundtable was part of a process publicly launched in early July by the OSCE/ODIHR, the Council of Europe and the Azerbaijani authorities to engage key actors interested in electoral reform in a dialogue over improving the election legislation. Since then the OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe Venice Commission have been assisting Azerbaijan in improving a working draft of the Election Code.
"It is regrettable that major opposition parties decided not to participate in the roundtable discussions, which were intended to produce concrete recommendations on the draft Election Code," said Steven Wagenseil, Acting Director of the OSCE/ODIHR. "However, the opposition's absence also shows a lack of confidence in the reform process which should be addressed by the authorities."
The opposition's decision followed intense negotiations during which both the Government and the opposition made concessions. However, the two sides failed to reach agreement over the immediate creation of a joint working group responsible for identifying areas of consensus and disagreement over the draft election code. The OSCE/ODIHR supports the creation of the suggested working group and urges both sides to start discussions as soon as possible.
The OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe stand ready to continue the dialogue with the authorities, all political parties and non-governmental organizations.
The roundtable was part of a process publicly launched in early July by the OSCE/ODIHR, the Council of Europe and the Azerbaijani authorities to engage key actors interested in electoral reform in a dialogue over improving the election legislation. Since then the OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe Venice Commission have been assisting Azerbaijan in improving a working draft of the Election Code.
"It is regrettable that major opposition parties decided not to participate in the roundtable discussions, which were intended to produce concrete recommendations on the draft Election Code," said Steven Wagenseil, Acting Director of the OSCE/ODIHR. "However, the opposition's absence also shows a lack of confidence in the reform process which should be addressed by the authorities."
The opposition's decision followed intense negotiations during which both the Government and the opposition made concessions. However, the two sides failed to reach agreement over the immediate creation of a joint working group responsible for identifying areas of consensus and disagreement over the draft election code. The OSCE/ODIHR supports the creation of the suggested working group and urges both sides to start discussions as soon as possible.
The OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe stand ready to continue the dialogue with the authorities, all political parties and non-governmental organizations.