A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:
The UK notes the ODIHR preliminary findings on the Presidential election in Azerbaijan, held on 7 February 2024. The UK was proud to contribute 10 Short Term Observers to its monitoring mission.
We welcome the establishment by Central Election Committee of Azerbaijan of an Expert Group to consider election complaints and that the election was calm and included provisions to allow the Internally Displaced Population to vote in their historic constituencies.
However, we share a number of issues of concern with the election taking place in a restrictive environment, lacking genuine political alternatives. Serious violations were observed, some of which run counter to the 1990 Copenhagen Document which outlines a number of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The OSCE's ODIHR plays a vital role in ensuring that election processes are assessed fairly and the UK strongly encourages Azerbaijan to work with the organisation on implementing its final recommendations once published.
Azerbaijan is an important partner for the UK, and we stand ready to support their electoral reforms and improvements to the democratic process.
