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WEEKLY POLITICAL REVIEW

Politics Materials 15 August 2005 12:15 (UTC +04:00)
WEEKLY POLITICAL REVIEW

Official news

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Hovsani settlement of Baku on 10 August. The head of state met with the residents of the settlement and their social problems.

The President gave relevant instructions to the Baku Mayor Hajibala Abutalibov on adoption of effective measures with regard to resolve the social problems of the local people.

Aliyev also paid a visit to Sumgayit to attend the opening of a monument to ex-President Heydar Aliyev. In his opening remarks President Aliyev noted the great contribution by father Aliyev in the development of Sumgayit, including the establishment of an industrial potential of the city.

Speaking on forthcoming elections to parliament he noted that all items of the elections Code of Azerbaijan will be observed, while the elections should be held in democratic and transparent terms.

He stressed that the local bodies should not interfere a process of voting. В"I am sure in right choice of the wise people of Azerbaijan in the name of the nation. The same time there is no room for people who earlier led the country to chaos,” Aliyev stated.

Such visits ahs become part of the President’s domestic policy. Meeting with the citizens assume special importance when the authorities are focused on elections processes. The visits are first of all directed at active involvement of citizens in the elections process.

On the one hand, they are intended to give a birth to hope and confidence in the society , on the other to confide the democratic community in the democratic choice of the country.

Political life

The last week was remembered with continuing scandal around Ruslan Bashirli, the leader of �Yeni Fikir’ (New Idea) youth union, charged in preparing coup. Protest actions were staged in front of the building of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan Party (PAP, reformers) from 8 to 12 August. The protestors condemned Ali Karimli, leader of the PFAP (reformers) and Bashirli.

On 8 August Ramiz Tagiyev, adviser to Ali Karimli, told a news conference on 8 August his position on the last developments linked with Ruslan Bashirli. He demand the resignation of the chairman of the PFAP in an extraordinary session of the PFAP (r).

Meanwhile, Zakir Garalov, the Prosecutor General, did not exclude that other related people will be arrested on the case of Bashirli.

They frequently cite Fuad Mustafayev, the deputy chairman of the PFAP (r) in the scandal around Bashirli. Mustafayev said that the arrest of Bashirli is illegal and did not exclude his arrest in such legal nihilism.

The opposition took the tactics of accusations. Ali Karimli the stated on 9 August on the preparation of provocation in regard to opposition forces.

Isa Gambar, the chairman of Musavat Party, told journalists about the provocations prepared by the authorities to members of his family. "They will introduce members of my as immoral people in on the local television channels through cutting the shootings of one of wedding parties," he noted.

The facts of attacks on the building of the PFAP caused negative replies at the international organizations.

OSCE office made a statement condemning such attacks. Mauricio Pavesi, e head of the Baku Office of OSCE, voiced his hope that the Azerbaijani authorities will take every effort to prevent such actions, which have negative impact on the pre-election situation in the country.

The U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan also came out against such actions and called the government to condemn the campaign directed against the nation.

In this condition Reno Harnish, the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, voiced his doubts on the biased organization of the forthcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for 6 November.

"if any of legal parties is imposed to attacks and physical persecution and attacks in press, the OSCE would hardly recognize the elections as unbiased,” Harnish underlined.

He refuted the statements by Bashirli on support by U.S. and the National Democracy Institute to his actions.

Ali Karimli met on 13 August with Ambassador Harnish and head of the Baku Office of the Christi Kwerk, the U.S. National Democracy Institute in Baku, to discuss the campaign against the PFAP after arrest of Bashirli.

The case with Bashirli considerably damaged the image of PFAP and will be certainly felt in electioneering of the chairman of the party.

Successful overspeed of the scandal actually befitted the authorities, while it was neutralized by the West.

Parliamentary elections

Elections blocs and parties continue preparations for forthcoming elections.

10 candidates were nominated from the pro-governmental party Social Welfare. Khanhusyen Kazimli the chairman of the party, will ballot from the Bilasuvar elections bloc 66. he has completed the collections of signatures and believes in his victory basing on his previous victory.

The elections bloc вЂ�Young Azerbaijan вЂ" New Names’ publicized a list of candidates on 11 August.

�Azadlyg’ bloc held on 12 August the primaries in six constituencies of the country to define unified candidates. They were held from 10.00am to 18.00pm in Absheron constituency 45, Ali-Bayramly 46, Masalli 71, Shamkir 98, Gazakh 107 and Balakan 109.

On 10 August Khatai constituency 36 adopted the documents from Rasul Guliyev, the chairman of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP).

Three more candidates of �Independent Media 2005’ completed the campaign of collection of signatures. They are Rashad Majid, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper �525’, who will ballot from Agjabadi constituency 82, Khoshgadam Hidayatgizi, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper �Uch Nogte’, (Agdam constituency 119) and Akif Ashirli, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper �Sharg’ (Gazakh 107). The Central Elections Commission has registered the candidacy of Agil Abbas, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper �Adalat’.

51 candidates will ballot from Popular Front of Azerbaijan Party (classics). Mirmahmud Miralioglu, the leader of the party, presented the document to Absheron constituency 45.

The Communist Party will participate in the parliamentary elections with 40 candidates.

Small parties in Azerbaijan understood their insufficient popularity for serious political struggle.

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