IRI Monitors Azerbaijan Elections

March 5, 2003

IRI observed the by-elections to the Azerbaijan national parliament. These elections were held to choose successors for three parliamentarians who had either died while in office or been appointed to other government positions.

IRI and other international organizations used these elections as a marker to predict how smooth the process will be for the upcoming presidential election in October. The Institute fielded a team of 14 election observers who focused on precincts in the district of Ismayilli.

Although the IRI team observed no major irregularities, they were concerned about low voter turnout. At one precinct, only 125 out of 400 registered voters came to the polls - barely 25 percent of the total.

At other precincts observers noted that some poll workers counted invalid ballot papers and allowed people to vote without producing ID cards. The IRI team concluded that the presence international observers kept the elections as transparent as possible.

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