DUSHANBE, 29.08.2024 /NIAT Khovar/. Azerbaijan will conduct early parliamentary elections on Sept. 1, with 991 candidates vying for 125 seats at the National Assembly, known as the Milli Majlis.

This election comes after a resolution passed by the Azerbaijani Parliament on June 21, requesting President Ilham Aliyev to call for early elections.

In response, President Aliyev dissolved the sixth convocation of Parliament and set the election date on Sept. 1 through a decree signed on June 28.

The decision was influenced by the upcoming 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) and other major international events scheduled for November 2024.

This upcoming election marks the second instance of snap parliamentary elections in the country’s history, following the previous elections held on February 9, 2020.

To ensure transparency in the electoral process, Azerbaijan will host 604 international observers from 50 organizations across 69 countries.

Rovzat Kasimov, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan, also announced that over 109,000 local observers, including 65,000 from political parties, will monitor the elections.

In addition, a record number of over 5,100 observers from non-governmental organizations and civil society are expected to participate.

Around 60 representatives from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will be present as well. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will deploy a long-term mission consisting of 11 international experts, along with 280 short-term observers.

The election campaign, which began on Aug. 9, will conclude on August 31, followed by a «day of silence» when all campaigning activities will be prohibited.

The Milli Majlis is a unicameral legislative body, and its 125 deputies are elected every 5 years through a majoritarian system, with one representative from each of the 125 electoral districts.

Candidates can be nominated by political parties, political party blocs, or by citizens residing in the electoral district with active voting rights.

According to the constitution, regular parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan are held every five years on the first Sunday of November.