Mohamed ElHejira
Versions of names:
Morocco
Mohamed ElHejira, a Moroccan MP, is the chairperson of the finance and control committee of the Moroccan Parliament and is a member of the Authenticité et Modernité party. Earlier, he had already observed the February 2024 presidential election in Azerbaijan. Between June 29 and July 2, 2022, Mohamed ElHejira was in Baku to attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Corresponding elections
legitimate
In Azerbaijan's September 1, 2024, snap parliamentary election, the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, led by President Ilham Aliyev, narrowly maintained its majority with 68 out of 125 seats. Held early to avoid conflicting with COP29 in Baku, the election saw limited opposition with 44 seats won by "independents" broadly aligned with the regime. Voting extended to Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time since 1994, underscoring Azerbaijan's control of the region. Despite a peaceful election day, international observers highlighted a lack of democratic standards, with low voter turnout (37%) and substantial restrictions on political freedoms, media access, and independent observation. The EPDE and OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) criticized the election’s credibility, noting extensive repression of opposition and the presence of fake observers.