into account the fact that the lack of 268,106 votes near the second place indicates that the opposition Musavat party has been enjoying the trust of citizens since 2003 ( If we do not take into account that during the 2003 presidential elections a large number decided not to run in 2008 . on August 2 . The main reasons for not participating were the number of electoral violations ), but did not run in this presidential election . Their reasons for not participating in the elections were the lack of freedom of assembly and the imprisonment of journalists , as well as the lack of a consistent position with international organizations on the elections 23 . Moreover , election commissions were to be given special powers to offer local governments the right to provide polling stations for all competitors under the same conditions . It was important that the VC and ODIHR addressed the issue of free airtime for candidates . It was mentioned that Article 194 of the Code sets a 5 % threshold , which is necessary to release presidential candidates from the obligation to pay for free airtime and pavilion . The threshold should be lowered to 3 %, in accordance with the 3 % threshold set for parliamentary elections ( Article 161 1 Article 230 ). It is proposed to demand 3 % of valid votes instead of the number of voters in the respective constituency 24 .
The official document also refers to the observers who are an important component of the elections . It was stated that if some NGOs receive foreign state funding , it should not prohibit their appointment as observers . This clause called for an amendment to the Law on Public Organizations and Foundations . After the VC and ODIHR also called for " the Code to stipulate that observers have the right to enter election commissions after completing all election tasks from Election Day until ." " This increases the transparency of the work of the commissions , especially the CEC , in the crucial days before the final results are announced " 25 . Moreover , valuing the amendments to the Electoral Code , the call for organizations was to ensure a simple procedure for registering individual observers .
In 2004 , VC and ODIHR in the recommendations called for " the authorities to take steps as soon as possible to turn the state-run television station into an independent public service broadcaster with balanced reporting , including coverage
23
News website , “ Isa Qəmbər : Indiki halda seçkilərə qatilmamaq daha uyğundur ”, August 4 , 2008 , last modified March 25 , 2021 , http :// www . turan . az / login _ az . php ? doc =% 2Fhome- 3 % 2Fturanne1 % 2Fpublic _ html % 2Fnews % 2F2008 % 2Fsubsc % 2Fpolitics _ 8 _ az . htm & anc = 5 1498 & pb = politics & op = exit
24
Venice Commission and the OSCE / ODIHR , Joint recommendations on the electoral law and the electoral administration in Azerbaijan Recommendation of 2004
25
Ibid , p . 5 .
39