Azerbaijan Agrees To Foreign Election Monitoring

A demonstration in front of the Popular Front Party headquarters in Baku on 9 August (RFE/RL)

28 October 2005 -- Azerbaijan's parliament voted today to remove a ban
on foreign-funded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) monitoring the 6
November parliamentary elections.

The ban barred groups that received more than 30 percent of their funding from foreign sources from monitoring polls in the country.

The move came after the country's Central Election Commission on 26 October approved using ink to mark voters' fingers to help prevent fraud at polling places.

Andreas Herkel, a Council of Europe envoy monitoring the Azerbaijani election, earlier called the ban on NGO monitoring a quote "stupid prohibition."

(AFP)