Azerbaijani opposition demands cancellation of referendum outcomes

As stated by the "Musavat" Party and the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), the results of the constitutional referendum in Azerbaijan should be abolished because of the boycott of voting and violations in the course of it.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 26, Azerbaijan held the voting at the referendum on amendments to the Constitution. The Azerbaijani CEC has announced that the turnover at the referendum reached 3,671,707 voters, or 69.7 percent of their total number.

"We received information about violations from voters and non-partisan observers, as well as from our activists. Based on these data, we can state with confidence that the real voter turnout at the referendum was not more than 10-12%; and, thus, the voting could not be regarded as taken place, because the minimum quorum is at least 25% of the voters," said Gyulyaga Aslanly, the head of the electoral office of the "Musavat" Party.

The "Musavat" Party has concluded that "the referendum did not take place, since the voter turnout was below 25%," says the preliminary conclusion on the outcomes of the referendum of the "Musavat" Party, available at disposal of the "Caucasian Knot". "The 'Musavat' Party demands to cancel the outcomes of the September 26 referendum," says the statement.

In its turn, the NCDF has also called not to accept the announced outcomes of the referendum and to fight by all legal means for its cancellation.

"Despite the fact that the CEC has announced a nearly 70-percent voter turnout, objective observations show that voters had in fact boycotted the referendum.

"The referendum took place in the environment of total falsifications – 'carousels', massive ballot stuffing (throw-ins) and filling-in ballot boxes in advance. Facts of falsifications were videoed by media professionals and active citizens," Jamil Gasanli, the head of the NCDF, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.