EPDE regretfully reports that in the lead-up to the snap parliamentary election on September 1, 2024, the crisis in protecting political freedoms in the country has deepened. Restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly, and association have not been lifted; rather, politically motivated arrests have increased in  an unprecendent scale. There have been growing bans on the activities of independent civil society organizations and independent media, as well as increased harassment of journalists, human rights defenders and public activists.

In particular, Anar Mammadli, the head of the country’s largest and only election monitoring organization, who was active in observing the February 7, 2024, presidential elections and providing the public with alternative reports and information, has been arrested. Prior to this, Abzas Media, which covered the elections, as well as employees of Toplum Tv (March 6, 2024) and the head of Majlis.info, Imran Aliyev, were also arrested on fabricated charges.

More than 30 civil society activists (human rights defenders, journalists, public activists) have been forced to leave the country. Many of other activists have been banned from leaving the country. They have been coerced into cooperating with investigations through various forms of pressure.

Unlike the last snap parliamentary elections held in 2020, there has been a noticeable lack of activity from political parties and independent candidates in the upcoming elections. Almost none of the independent candidates from previous elections have participated in this election cycle. The largest party in the country, the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), has boycotted the elections. The Musavat Party has decided to participate with a limited number of representatives but has not put forward its leaders as candidates. The leaders of the Umid Party, the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP), the Citizen Solidarity Party, and the Unity Party have expressed their unwillingness to participate in the elections.

There has been no democratic environment for active participation of civil society organizations and political parties in the snap parliamentary elections on September 1. The level of activity observed during the last parliamentary elections in February 2020 has not been recorded. While 1,637 candidates were registered at that time, as of August 8, 2024, the official data indicates that the number of registered candidates has been 1030.

Many independent groups that participated as candidates and observers in previous elections have shown no interest in participating in this election due to pressure. As a result, the essential conditions for a free and fair election, namely political alternatives and a pluralistic environment, have not been ensured.

After the snap parliamentary elections were announced, Azerbaijan invited various international organizations to observe, but notably excluded the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), continuing a trend seen in previous elections.

While 228 international observers were accredited, the involvement of independent civil society organizations was severely restricted, with key figures like Anar Mammadli of the EMDS being arrested and other observers facing intimidation and threats. Local observers, though accredited, are viewed with skepticism due to their perceived alignment with government interests and unclear methodologies, raising concerns about the fairness and transparency of the election monitoring process.

The EPDE considers the pre-election environment ahead of the September 1, 2024 parliamentary elections to be falling short of democratic standards, and calls on Azerbaijani authorities to demonstrate political will to resolve the ongoing political crisis and hold free and fair elections.