Congress delegation starts pre-election mission in Baku

A Congress delegation began on Monday 7 December a pre-election mission to Baku in the preparation for the observation of the municpal elections in Azerbaijan, scheduled for 23 December 2009.

During meetings with the diplomatic community of Baku, with NGOs and media representatives, the delegation was briefed about the overall political situation, in particular with regard to fundamental democratic rights, pluralism, media freedom and decentralisation. Head of the Central Election Commission Mozahir Panahov reported on election procedures and the registration process.

The current situation and challenges for territorial institutions in Azerbaijan were central to the discussions with Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Policies Arif Rahimadse, the country’s three municipal associations and members of Azerbaijan’s delegation to the Congress.