Government critics question the renewal of the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission's composition.

In Azerbaijan, the ruling party, independent MPs, and parliamentary minority parties have nominated candidates for the new Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan. Most of the candidates are already members of the current commission.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on April 27, 2021, parliament approved the new composition of the Central Election Commission. All 18 core members of this body, according to a press release from the Milli Majlis, were from the previous CEC. A meeting of the new commission was held that same day, at which Mazahir Panahov, nominated by the ruling party, was re-elected as chairman. Activists then expressed skepticism about the formation of the Central Election Commission: the absence of changes in its composition will not improve the quality of its work or the country's electoral practices, which have drawn criticism from local and international observer organizations.

On April 22, the board of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) nominated candidates from its quota for membership in the CEC for subsequent approval by the Azerbaijani parliament. "It was decided to nominate Mazahir Panahov, Rovzat Kasumov, Ramiz Ibrahimov, Huseyn Pashayev, Elmar Mammadov, and Sevinj Abdullayeva as core members of the CEC, as well as Elnara Mustafayeva as an alternate member," the party said in a statement.

Of the nominated candidates, four are current members of the CEC. Moreover, 75-year-old Mazahir Panahov, who has headed the CEC since 2025, is once again on the party list.

According to the country's Electoral Code, the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan is formed from candidates nominated by the parliamentary majority party, non-partisan deputies, and parliamentary minority parties. Each of these entities nominates candidates for a third of the seats on the 18-member CEC, that is, six people.

According to a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" in the parliamentary apparatus, non-partisan deputies and parliamentary minority parties also nominated their candidates on April 22. Thus, from the parliamentary minority parties, Bakhsheyish Askerov, Etibar Guliyev, Mikail Rahimli, Almas Gahramanli, Tofig Hasanov, and Ilkin Shahbazov were nominated, and from non-partisan deputies - Arif Mukhtarova, Gabil Orujov, Fuad Javadov, Ilham Mammadov, Nailya Askerova, and Nizami Nadirkhanli. All of these candidates are part of the current Central Election Commission, whose five-year term expires on April 27.

The opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, which is not represented in parliament, is critical of the CEC's activities.

"Election administrations in Azerbaijan at all levels are completely subordinate to the current government and are conduits of its will. For this reason, elections in Azerbaijan are falsified and do not reflect the will of voters," Natig Adilov, head of the party's press service, emphasized in an interview with a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Adilov believes that "to hold fair elections in Azerbaijan, the Central Election Commission and the election commissions of districts and polling stations must be formed on a parity basis between the government and the real opposition." "Despite the presence of representatives from approximately 10 parties in parliament, all of them, including the so-called independent deputies, are politically united with the ruling party. "They are all unanimously following the instructions of the presidential administration," Adilov said.

A legal expert expressed skepticism about the candidates for the new Central Election Commission. "Of the 18 candidates, 16 are former members of the Central Election Commission. All of them have been there for many years and have not responded to numerous violations during the elections. The system is set up so that the Central Election Commission is formed by the current government, and the opposition is excluded from the process. The last member of the Central Election Commission who raised his voice in protest against the violations and did not sign the falsified protocols was Akif Gurbanov. Because of this position, he was no longer elected to the Central Election Commission, and now he has ended up in prison. Incidentally, the leaders of NGOs that conducted independent election observation – Anar Mammadli, Mammad Mammadzade, and Bashir Suleymanli – also ended up in prison. Therefore, Azerbaijan lacks not only an independent observation institution, but also an election institution itself,” said an expert who did not wish to publish his name.