Text of report by Azerbaijani news agency Turan
Baku, 10th August: The US National and Democratic Institute
proposes the Azerbaijani government should take "additional
steps for strengthening of public trust in the run-up to the
municipal elections". In this context, the institute proposes
to call for a special sitting of parliament and to adopt a
number of additional legislative documents to the
already-existing laws "On the rules of municipal elections" and
"On the status of municipalities", a press release from the
Baku office of the institute says.

The US institute believes that "changes" should be made to
the staff of the Central Electoral Commission [CEC] to
strengthen the public's "trust". The institute reckons that the
majority of problems during the presidential elections in 1998
were linked with the CEC's activity and bodies subordinate to
it. "It is very important that a new balanced commission with
the participation of representatives of the main political
parties should be set up," the press release says.

The institute believes that local and international
observers should have equal rights on the day of the elections.
Local and international observers should receive the right to
observe the elections "in all stages, including the counting of
votes". They must have the possibility of checking documents
and receiving them in the original, the press release says.
Experts believe that the institute's proposals largely
coincide with proposals by the Azerbaijani opposition. To
recap, the municipal elections are on 12th December 1999.

Source: Turan news agency, Baku, in Russian 1430 gmt 10 Aug 99
BBC Mon TCU 110899 sh/nm