Baku: District election commissions have completed the handover of ballot papers to precinct election commissions in preparation for the early presidential election for February 7. Under the Electoral Code, distribution of ballot papers to precinct election commissions must be finalized three days before the voting day, according to "Secki-2024.az" website. The process involved the distribution of ballot papers from the Central Election Commission (CEC) to district election commissions, a step that concluded on February 1. Notably, the printing of election ballots started on January 24, resulting in a total of 6,524,203 ballots printed for the upcoming election. Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency BAKU: Azerbaijan, as one of the countries adhering to democratic principles, ensures the democratic conduct of the presidential election by creating favorable conditions for media activities, thereby ensuring media participation in the electoral process following international standards, a columnist and media consultant of Kuwaiti Al Seyassah newspaper Abdulrahman Al-Ajmi told "Election 2024' Independent Media Center, Trend reports. The Kuwaiti reporter emphasized that the aspect of media activity regulation is particularly intriguing for him in the context of the presidential election in Azerbaijan. "Azerbaijan's approach is highly commendable. In the election campaign, the media allocates space for candidates on both a free and paid basis, ensuring an ideal approach and promoting equality among candidates. Furthermore, the openness of the Central Election Commission (CEC) to the media helps prevent issues in disseminating information to the public. Allowing reporters to observe the voting process on elect ion day and even participate in the counting of votes serves as a noteworthy international example," he emphasized. Abdulrahman Al-Ajmi also highlighted that, when objectively assessed from an external perspective, it is evident that Azerbaijan possesses democratic traditions. "I believe that the upcoming presidential election in the country on February 7 will once again exemplify the tradition of democratic election" he added. On December 7, 2023, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on holding an extraordinary presidential election in the country on February 7, 2024. The Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan (CEC) on Dec. 19 approved the candidacy of Ilham Aliyev, nominated by the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), for participation in the extraordinary presidential election. Azerbaijan has registered 7 candidates to run in the extraordinary presidential election. "Election 2024' Independent Media Center was launched by the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the R epublic of Azerbaijan. Source: Trend News Agency