Azeri election body member says poll fraudsters must be brought to book

Excerpts from report by Azerbaijani TV station ANS on 9th November

[Presenter] Good evening. Point of View is about the elections in the country. [passage omitted: presidential elections in the USA]

[Presenter] The studio's guest is Gudrat Hasanguliyev, the secretary of the Central Electoral Commission. [passage omitted: details of Hasanguliyev's background shown on the screen]

[Question] According to the law, territorial electoral commission should have submitted protocols to the Central Electoral Commission [CEC] over two days, should they not?

[Answer] Absolutely right.

[Q] Why are protocols from a number of precincts not being forwarded [to the CEC]? Which precincts and how many of them have failed to submit protocols?

[A] I cannot name all those which failed to deliver protocols. Only a few of them have done so. Yesterday about 11-12 precincts sent their protocols. Today about half this number sent theirs. Many precincts have not delivered protocols yet. Tomorrow they might wind up sending them.

[Q] Four days have elapsed since the elections. Is this not illegal? What is this delay for?

[A] You know, the delay in sending protocols really causes some doubts. The irregularities on the first day of the elections made us even more suspicious about the delay.

[passage omitted: more about delay]

[A] In fact, by 1200 [0800 gmt] in the evening of the day of the elections or at 1200 on the next day, the results of the voting in Azerbaijan for both those represented under the proportional and under the first-past-the-post system should have been known, if chairmen of precincts had done their jobs honestly and if they had followed all legislative documents.

[Q] Still, what is the reason for such a delay in delivering protocols?

[A] Undoubtedly, the figures do not add up. Today you probably know about the meeting at the Central Electoral Commission. [passage omitted: about the annulment of results in Agsu District]

[A] Another reason is that members of some precincts, for example members of the People's Front of Azerbaijan Party and the Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan in electoral commissions are refusing to sign protocols. They [presumably commission chairmen] are trying to make these members sign protocols under some pressure. I am personally receiving complaints about such cases from them. There were letters from Jalilabad District and from Agsu District's 5th precincts. They even came here and had difficulty going back because they said that they would be condemned or arrested for false accusations. Elderly people or relatives go to their homes to convince them to sign protocols. This is also one of the reasons.

[passage omitted: telephone call complaining about irregularities]

[Q] Three precincts' results have been annulled for irregularities. Why have not those guilty, chairmen or members of commissions, been brought to book so that others could draw lessons from them?

[A] In fact, many of the country's problems are being created due to the atmosphere of impunity. As you know, everything goes unpunished. [passage omitted: more about impunity]

[Q] Why is the CEC not appealing to the court?

[A] Undoubtedly, the CEC should have appealed to the prosecutor's bodies. That would be its direct duty.

[Q] Why did it not?

[A] There were statements [from the CEC] saying that those who complain should themselves appeal to the courts.

[Q] Why do you think the CEC's leadership is not appealing to the prosecutor's bodies?

[A] The chairman of the Central Electoral Commission made a statement after the elections and said that if necessary we would take relevant measures to bring those guilty to book. I believe that it is high time for this. We must definitely appeal to the republic's prosecutor's office on all the three precincts. If the Central Electoral Commission fails to do so on its own, I myself, as an employee of the CEC, will do so.

[passage omitted: another telephone call demanding punishment for falsifications]

[Q] Is it not suspicious that the Musavat Party, the Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan and others did not pass the [six per cent] threshold?

[A] As I said before numerous irregularities took place, but protocols have still not been delivered. If the opposition had not failed to prepare them, we would have been able to determine the results and declare them. Unfortunately, the opposition forces only publisize the protocols of those precincts where they won more gains. For example, [the Musavat leader] Isa Gambar, declared that they had won 60 per cent, while later this figure was changed to 40 per cent. [passage omitted: in 10 days the results will be submitted to the Constitutional Court]

Source: ANS TV, Baku, in Azeri 1730 gmt 09 Nov 00

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Posted November 14, 2000 © Eurasianet
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