AZERBAIJAN: MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN VERY QUIET

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000981 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CARC, DRL E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV KDEM AJ SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN: MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN VERY QUIET REF: BAKU 813, BAKU 924 BAKU 00000981 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Azerbaijan will conduct municipal elections December 23. Embassy Baku will field several teams of election observers, mainly in Baku city and immediate regions, but will not issue a statement on the free or fair nature of the vote. OSCE/ODIHR will not monitor the election. Campaigning for municipal elections began November 25. More than 30,000 candidates, over half of which represent the ruling party, have been nominated for 15,682 seats nationwide. Opposition leaders have complained about registration violations, as well as difficulties and obstructions in the campaign. Average Azerbaijanis do not have a clear notion of the role of municipal councils, and few turn to the councils to address issues in communities. Municipal councils generally lack proper funding, and in practice have been subordinate to "Excoms," or regional governors. While these elections do not hold the significance of next year's parliamentary elections, the municipal councils are still an important exercise in democracy for Azerbaijan. End Summary What Are Municipalities? -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Azerbaijan initially established 2,757 municipalities nationwide, ranging from small rural villages to large city districts, for example, in Baku. Under a new law adopted in 2009, the number of municipalities in Azerbaijan was reduced to 1,718. The legal basis for municipalities in Azerbaijan was originally specified in the 1995 Constitution. The campaign to establish municipalities began only after July 1999, however, when the Law on Municipal Elections and the Law on the Status of Municipalities was passed. During this period, the Council of Europe and other Western organizations and assistance providers were active in promoting the formation of municipalities. Electing Municipal Councils -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The first municipal elections were held on 12 December 1999, and the councils commenced activity in January 2000. Azerbaijan held last local election in 2004. Depending on the size of the population of a given municipality, the municipal councils consist of 5 to 19 council members, who are elected for five year terms. After assuming office, municipal councils will meet to elect a chairman. The Campaign for Municipal Councils -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Campaigning for municipal elections in Azerbaijan was officially launched on November 25. More than 30,000 candidates have been nominated for 15,682 seats. Almost half of those candidates, or 15,388, are candidates officially nominated by the ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party (YAP). Only YAP members have thus far been permitted to use the state media for campaigning, as the ruling parties' candidates were registered in more than half of the municipalities and thus met a legislative threshold for media support. In practice, this has meant that YAP enjoys the right for free air time on public TV station ITV for campaigning. Opposition parties, meanwhile, were not able to unify under a single ticket, and have had mixed results registering candidates for the December 23 vote. Opposition leaders have complained repeatedly about registration violations and glitches (ref b),as well as difficulties and obstructions in the campaign, mostly in the regions. Local observers and other third parties so far are noting that the campaign in general is lackluster, with little debate and low levels of local interest. A Difficult Relationship with ExComs -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Municipal councils are technically independent of "ExComs," who are local state administrators, appointed by the President or his Administration, directly subordinate or accountable to the central government. While ExComs govern the regions as a whole - somewhat similar to a governor - they do not officially have authority over or responsibility for municipal councils. Rather, the municipal councils, at least according to Azerbaijani law and regulation, report directly to the central government. Lines of authority, however, are unclear, and may depend on personalities. Azerbaijan's Constitution, as well as secondary laws, defines municipalities as bodies for local self-government. In practice, however, the municipal councils lack a complete legal framework and proper funding. De facto they have been subordinate to Excoms. But What Do They Do? -------------- BAKU 00000981 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) Average Azerbaijanis do not seem to have a clear notion of the role of municipal councils, and few turn to the councils to address problems and issues in communities. In some cases, citizens have asked council members to fix roads and address other communal needs, but results are seldom seen. Rather, Azerbaijanis report that council members complain of a lack of funding, and at times suggest that only ExComs have the resources and political might to tackle these issues. In some cases, Azerbaijanis have also complained that, in the past, council members have foregone official duties to engage in land speculation, which could be lucrative. Outlook for Elections -------------- ¶7. (SBU) While these elections do not hold the significance of last year's president election, the March 2009 referendum on constitutional changes, or next year's parliamentary elections, the municipal councils are an important test of democracy in Azerbaijan. The Central Election Commission has noted to the Embassy on multiple occasions the complexity of these elections, with so many municipalities scattered across the country and so many candidates to register and campaign. Overall enthusiasm for the elections has been hard to find, and voter turnout, unless manipulated, may be light. The Government has declared December 23 a national holiday, in part to boost recognition of the municipal elections. Embassy Baku will field several teams of election observers, mainly in Baku city and immediate regions. The Embassy will cooperate with other bilateral missions in Baku to generally access the mood and atmosphere of the elections, but will not issue a statement on the free or fair nature of the vote. OSCE/ODIHR will not monitor the election.