DUSHANBE, September 17, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik observers will monitor voting process during the upcoming presidential election in Azerbaijan.

According to Tajikistan’s Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER), two members of CCER Isroil Shoyev and Kenja hasanov as well as head of legal department within President’s Executive Office Yusuf Salimov will observe the presidential election in Azerbaijan.  

Presidential election will be held in Azerbaijan on October 15, 2008 and seven candidates will run for presidency in Azerbaijan, including the incumbent Ilham Aliyev, who was nominated by the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan) Party for a second term on August 3, 2008. 

Among the candidates, apart from Ilham Aliyev, are: Igbal Agazade, leader of the Umid Party; Fazil Gazanfaroglu, chairman of the Party of Great Endeavour; Gudret Hasanguliyev, chairman of the Popular Front for United Azerbaijan; Hafiz Gajiyev, chairman of the Muasir (Modern) Musavat Party; Fuad Aliyev, leader of the Azeri Liberal-Democratic Party; and independent candidate Golamusein Alibeili.  

Musavat and the Azerbaijan Democratic Party have announced they will boycott the election due to unfair conditions.

In the meantime, following an invitation from Azerbaijan''s Government, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) deployed an election observation mission to observe the presidential election in Azerbaijan in early September.  The mission, headed by Ambassador Boris Frlec of Slovenia, includes 12 core team members and 28 long-term observers from 23 OSCE participating States.  The election observation mission will be joined by approximately 450 short-term observers shortly before election day.