CIS Executive Committee Chairman says Azerbaijan ready for elections
BAKU. Oct 7 (Interfax) - CIS Executive Committee Chairman Sergei Lebedev said he warned observers from Western Europe against an initially biased assessment of elections in the CIS, including the upcoming elections in Azerbaijan on October 9.
"One starts judging elections in Europe without waiting for their completion. In my opinion, such initial assessment always causes doubts," Lebedev said in an interview with Azerbaijan's TV Lider.
"Besides, why apply standards that are not used in Western European countries at elections in CIS countries?" Lebedev said. The CIS Executive Committee chairman said he referred to the demand of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to use "the unpleasant procedure" of marking fingers and installing web cameras, which have been later found an excessive measure by Europeans themselves, during the past elections in Azerbaijan as an example.
"Europeans, you should first form an opinion and only then propose something. Do Europeans themselves use these procedures during elections? No," he said.
Elections should be monitored by a single standard, Lebedev said.
"Azerbaijan is ready for elections, the preparatory work is close to completion and the national voting legislative completely meets democratic standards," Lebedev, who will head a CIS monitoring mission of 276 people during the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, said citing the information of the monitoring mission.
CIS observers are in constant contact with OSCE ODIHR colleagues regarding the coming elections in Azerbaijan, Lebedev said.
