As for the early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan of 2020, for instance, the PACE observation mission stated that, despite a high number of candidates, the campaign was largely indiscernible as a result of a politically controlled environment. While the authorities officially claimed their political will to organise elections in a free and fair atmosphere, serious concerns were expressed regarding the respect of fundamental rights and freedoms there (PACE, Doc 15090). Also in the case of the presidential and parliamentary elections of 2018 in Turkey, to mention another example, “the curtailing of fundamental rights and freedoms introduced under the state of emergency, the high number of arrests of politicians and journalists, together with the ongoing security operations in the south-east of the country have limited the space for democratic debate and for the free expression of a plurality of views, which are essential to enable citizens to make an informed choice on polling day.” (PACE, Doc. 14608, para. 12).