The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights published an opinion on Azerbaijan’s law on political parties. It was adopted at the end of last year and signed by the President in January 2023, provoking sharp criticism of the opposition.

The authors of the opinion identified problematic provisions that could have a deterrent effect on pluralism in Azerbaijan. The most serious of these are: increasing the minimum number of party members from 1,000 to 5,000; the need to re-register parties that have already been registered; long waiting periods and cumbersome registration procedure; Excessive control by the Ministry of Justice over party activities and the list of members; possibility of suspending or even disbanding the party for acts not involving serious violations.

The Council of Europe and OSCE recalled that the rights to freedom of association and expression are fundamental to the functioning of the democratic society to which Azerbaijan aspires.