11:34 a.m., August 26
On May 28, 1918, the Azerbaijani people created their first democratic and secular state in the Muslim world with a parliamentary form of government by adopting the Declaration of Independence declaring the independence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
In a short period of time, the republic made great strides in building an independent, democratic state, created the first parliament and government, state apparatus and governing institutions, adopted the state flag, anthem and coat of arms.
Guided by the principles of democracy and equality from the first days of its existence, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic has eliminated racial, ethnic, religious and class inequalities by granting equal rights to all citizens of the country. For the first time in the East and long before some European countries, women gained the right to vote in Azerbaijan.
On April 28, 1920, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was invaded, and after approximately 70 years, Azerbaijan gained independence and declared itself the political and legal successor of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on October 18, 1991.
National leader Heydar Aliyev, who had great political experience, came to power in 1993 at the request of the people, which was a turning point in the history of statehood in modern Azerbaijan. As a result of the wise policy of the national leader, the complete removal of Azerbaijan from the world political map was prevented, social and political stability and civil solidarity were ensured.
In the first years of independence, they gave impetus to the implementation of political and legal reforms, the holding of the first parliamentary elections and the adoption of the first constitution based on a referendum, the removal of censorship in the mass media and other steps. creation of a political system based on pluralism and self-confident progress of Azerbaijan on the path of democratic development.
Azerbaijan became stronger, gained a high political, economic and military reputation in the world and achieved great development and stability as a result of the socio-economic policy successfully pursued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
As a result of the pragmatic foreign policy of the leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan, relations between Azerbaijan and the countries of the world are successfully developing in both bilateral and multilateral formats. The election of Azerbaijan as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2012-2013 with the support of 155 countries and its successful presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement, the largest international institution after the UN, in 2019-2023 are successful results of a visionary and purposeful foreign policy. The unanimous decision is a clear indicator of the respect and confidence of the international community in Azerbaijan regarding the holding of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), the 19th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and 6 .the meeting of the conference of the contracting parties serving as the meeting of the contracting parties of the Paris Agreement, which is one of the most prestigious international events in the world.
As COP29 to be held in Azerbaijan in November 2024 coincides with parliamentary elections, the time of parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan has been changed.
In this context, on June 28, 2024, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the dissolution of the sixth convocation of the Milli Majlis and the appointment of early elections to the Milli Majlis. According to the decree, the sixth convocation of the Milli Majlis was released and early elections were scheduled for September 1.
The next extraordinary parliamentary elections to be held in Azerbaijan are of special significance both for Azerbaijan and for the region. Through a 44-day patriotic war and a one-day anti-terrorist operation, Azerbaijan ended almost 30 years of occupation, restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and created new realities both in the South Caucasus and in the world. The most important aspect of these elections is that, for the first time in more than 30 years after independence, parliamentary elections will be held in all territories of Azerbaijan.
125 MPs are expected to be elected in early parliamentary elections to be held in Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis, and 991 people are registered as parliamentary candidates.
A total of 321 international observers from 46 countries and 39 institutions, as well as 93,964 local observers, have been registered for early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, scheduled for September 1, 2024.
Projects of various formats were implemented with the aim of providing assistance to the free activity of election participants of various status, providing comprehensive favorable conditions and wide opportunities. Independent media center “Election-2024”, which started its activities in connection with the upcoming elections, is one of the projects of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan in this category.
The establishment of an Independent Media Center is one of the successful practices that have been carried out regularly for many years and are demonstrably effective.
The main goal of the project is to provide wider opportunities for representatives of local and international media, who play an important role in ensuring a high level of openness and transparency in elections. The independent media center will assist representatives of local and foreign media in providing comprehensive, timely and objective coverage of the upcoming elections, including the receipt of information and its immediate dissemination. Media representatives can freely use the center, which is fully equipped with the most modern information and communication technologies and necessary technical equipment.
