DISINFO: The West planned to discredit the Azerbaijani government
SUMMARY
Preparations for the voting procedure [in Azerbaijan] were under severe pressure from Western countries. The head of Germany's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Frank Schwabe, in an interview with Radio Liberty, accused Azerbaijan of not wanting to remain a member of the Council of Europe and predicted that Baku would not invite foreign observers to the national assembly elections.
RESPONSE
Disinformation narrative in the Azerbaijani media environment, accusing the West of putting pressure on Azerbaijan in light of the September 1st snap election. This claim is in line with the statements of Russian officials that, allegedly, the West puts pressure on countries in the South Caucasus. The same narrative has been spread by government-controlled media organisations in the Azerbaijani media environment.
The president of the Azerbaijan Republic announced the election on 28 June 2024. During the pre-election period, some Western institutions were invited to observe the elections, such as the OSCE. However, the Council of Europe was not invited by the Azerbaijani government.
According to the OSCE's report, the elections in Azerbaijan were observed with irregularities. There is no information about pressure from Western countries in the report. See also the statement from the EEAS which states that:
"According to the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, the election took place within a restrictive political and legal environment that did not enable genuine pluralism and resulted in a contest devoid of competition".
During the election period, calls from Western institutions and officials for the Azerbaijani government to hold free and fair elections should not be considered pressure, as organising free and fair elections is the responsibility of the Azerbaijani government as a member of the Council of Europe.
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