Mehmet Süreyya Er
Versions of names:
Turkey
Mehmet Süreyya Er, a Turkish diplomat, is the secretary general of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TÜRKPA). He served as a director in the Public Diplomacy Coordination Office of the Prime Ministry of Turkey until 2012, after which he headed the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). Before being elected to lead TÜRKPA, he was the Turkish ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2019 to 2022.
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.