Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 27
By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:
OSCE is trying to use the election in Azerbaijan as a mechanism for pressure on the government, says Stanislav Pritchin, researcher at the Oriental Studies Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences.
He made the remarks Oct. 27 during a video conference between Moscow and Baku, titled "Azerbaijan on the eve of parliamentary election".
"This is perhaps a precedent for the post-Soviet area, when a mission of the OSCE/ODIHR refuses to observe election in the country," said Pritchin. "It [ODIHR] seems to be actually the sole international institution for observing elections, therefore it is rather difficult to predict in what manner and on what basis will the OSCE give assessments on this election."
According to preliminary estimates, he said, criticism can be expected from this structure, which is trying to use the election in Azerbaijan as a mechanism for pressure.
Earlier, the OSCE press office issued a statement of the ODIHR Director Michael Link, stating that no mission will be sent to observe the parliamentary election, to be held in Azerbaijan Nov. 1.
Earlier, the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, addressing a press conference in Moscow, expressed regret that it was not possible to reach an agreement on sending an ODIHR observer mission to Azerbaijan's parliamentary election.
Azerbaijan will hold the parliamentary election Nov. 1.
Edited by SI