IFES activities in Azerbaijan
are made possible through a grant
from the United States Agency
for International Development
Current Programming

IFES Azerbaijan’s current project is aimed at strengthening electoral processes and administration in Azerbaijan, thus assisting in the fulfillment of the Government of Azerbaijan’s international and national election commitments in the lead-up to the 2008 presidential elections. The primary objectives of the program are to assist in the improvement of the legal framework for elections and of electoral administration. To address these objectives, the current program provides for technical assistance to the Central Election Commission and other lower level commissions, an assessment of the National Voter Registry, and engagement with the Government of Azerbaijan and other international partners on the revision of the legal framework for elections. Indeed IFES has formed a close partnership with OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Council of Europe’s Venice commission in working with its Azerbaijani partners on proposed changes to the current election code. Although IFES works closely with Azerbaijani officials, it also engages political parties and civil society on election issues.
IFES’ history of providing assistance on elections in Azerbaijan has allowed it to develop the trust of the Presidential Administration and the Central Election Commission, as well as lower-level election management bodies. Though the current project focuses on the management and legal framework of elections, IFES has provided significant assistance in the past in the areas of voter education and election observation as well. Funding for the project has been made available by IFES’ main donor, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Legal and Procedural Reform

On the national level, IFES has worked with lawmakers, local NGOs and the international community to improve the legal framework for the election process and for local self-governing bodies (municipalities), by making the laws clearer, more effective and in compliance with international norms. IFES has also engaged government bodies and the judiciary to promote transparency, accountability and good administrative practices in the implementation and adjudication of existing legislation. IFES election reform support has been complemented by a wide array of handbooks and training materials for election administrators, and informational pamphlets/guides for international and local observation groups and others interested in the process. By doing so, IFES has developed a high level of trust among those both inside and outside government.
IFES played a significant role in promoting transparency in the electoral process during the 2003 Presidential Election and the 2005 Parliamentary Elections. For the 2003 elections, IFES procured transparent stationary and mobile ballot boxes and individually numbered protocols for each precinct, and trained over 10,000 poll workers. Additionally, IFES distributed nearly 50,000 copies of the Election Day Guide in Azerbaijani to poll workers and observer groups, 250,000 leaflets in Azerbaijani on the new voting system, 4,400 Azerbaijani copies of the Election Code, and 5,750 posters and 49,750 leaflets on election fraud to the CEC for display in each precinct.
For the 2005 Parliamentary Elections, IFES continued to provide similar assistance to the CEC on a variety of legal and administrative issues. Through the CEC’s Election Day reminder mail-outs, IFES’ Voting Steps Guide was sent to all 4.5 million eligible voters. Of significant note during the 2005 elections was the decision to use invisible ink to mark voters. Though the decision was passed a mere 13 days before the election, IFES was critical, along with the US government and USAID, in facilitating the procurement and distribution of a sufficient supply of invisible ink and ultraviolet lamps from Georgia, Denmark, Macedonia, and Kyrgyzstan, and in organizing for the training on the use of invisible ink, with which to conduct the election. Additionally, IFES produced over 30,000 posters on the new inking system that were distributed throughout the country.

Local Community Development

In the past, IFES has promoted a model of community development that engaged both the municipalities and citizen stakeholders. IFES’ civic education trainers raised awareness and advocacy skills through regular discussion groups, Democracy Schools for youth, and Democracy Summer Camps for youth and new teachers. These activities addressed issues such as the role of citizens in a democracy, the role of the municipality, the electoral process, and a myriad other issues of local concern.
IFES community development activities played an important role in voter education campaigns prior to the December 2004 municipal elections. The discussion group methodology used by IFES encouraged citizens to form initiative groups, such as block associations, to actively address problems in the community. IFES also provided micro-grants to community initiative groups of citizens and municipal councilors to resolve such problems.
IFES complemented its work with citizens by engaging elected municipal councils and developing a high level of trust and credibility among them. IFES institutionalized lessons learned through informational pamphlets, a handbook, and training curricula for municipalities. To ensure sustainability, IFES helped develop of a formal network of municipalities to exchange information and lessons learned. Through this municipality database, IFES linked most of the municipalities for the first time.
IFES’ municipal programming came to an end in 2006, with the completion of its nine-month “Technical Assistance for Municipalities and Communities in Azerbaijan” project. IFES implemented the project with support from the British government, in partnership with the British Council and the Ministry of Justice’s Center for Work with Municipalities. The project provided technical assistance to two municipalities in strategic planning of activities, organizing of budgets, and interaction with the community. The initiative was undertaken to advance the goals of the Council of Europe’s Charter on Local Self-Governance to assist the Center for Work with Municipalities in developing training programs, and to build the capacity of municipal councils to play a more effective role in regional economic development. IFES published the training modules developed under the program, to be used for future programming. In recognition of the progress made in the area of transparency and accountability under the project, IFES was issued an award and the project was showcased as one of the six “Golden Projects” at the official reception of the Global Opportunities Fund 2005-6 Annual Report, hosted by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the summer of 2006.