Orhan Erdem

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Turkey

Orhan Erdem  is a member of the Turkish Parliament ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). He has served as deputy minister of education since October 2011. Together with Şamil Ayrım, he observed Azerbaijan’s September 2024 snap parliamentary election within the mission of the Turkish-Azerbaijani parliamentary friendship group. Orhan Erdem had already observed the February 2024 presidential election in Azerbaijan .

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.

Missions