US concerned over referendum irregularities

The US State Department expressed concerns over "widespread irregularities" in the 24 August constitutional referendum in Azerbaijan Monday.

In a daily news briefing, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said "we are very concerned that this referendum did very little to advance democratization or to lay the groundwork for presidential elections in the fall of 2003 that can meet international standards".

"Based on what we've heard from the US Embassy and other international observers, as you note, there appear to have been widespread irregularities, such as the voter list fraud, multiple voting, ballot box-stuffing".

"We will continue to support political pluralism in Azerbaijan, as well as transparency in government. We continue to urge the Azerbaijani authorities to work with the Office of Democratic Initiatives and Human Rights under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and others in the international community to put in place effective mechanisms to ensure fair and impartial electoral processes in the future", he stated.