Azerbaijan, Baku, June 16 / Trend , A. Huseynbala/ Azerbaijan's opposition leaders describe developments that took place in Iran following presidential elections as human rights violations.
"It would better to take a step towards democratization in Iran as a result of tense situation and people's activeness," Musavat party chairman Isa Gambar told Trend .
A clash between supporters of the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his rival Mir Hossein Mousavi on June 15 claimed lives of seven people, Associated Press reported Iran's state radio station as saying.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won presidential elections by 63.6 percent of votes on June 12.
Gambar said if conservative forces keep on breaching people's right to choice and election rigs are legalized and repressions increase, authoritarianism will further strengthen in Iran.
"Naturally, it promises nothing good neither to Iranian people nor the region," he added.
He said Iran's democratization and liberalization meets interests of Iranian people.
"Iran's neighbors want the country to become democratized," he said.
Musavat party was founded in Baku in 1911. The party's was re-launched on Nov. 7, 1992. Gambar was elected chief of Musavat party with majority of votes. Isa Gambar was the former Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament in 1992 to1993 and was nominated for the 2003 presidential elections. The party is represented by four MPs in the parliament.
"Events in Iran have always had a direct impact on Azerbaijan," leader of Azerbaijan National Independence Party Etibar Mammadov told Trend .
He said clashes related to the presidential elections are attributed to government's violating human rights and restricting freedoms.
"The people wanted to achieve the freedoms they want through elections. Therefore they express their protest in large numbers," Mammadov said.
He said the latest developments in Iran show that the government enjoys less support now.
"The main indicator is that there is a strong split in ruling circles," Mammadov added.
ANIP, founded in 1992, is the first officially registered political party in Azerbaijan. Etibar Mammadov was the founder and chairman of the party until 2004. At present, Mammadov is the deputy chairman of the International Democratic Society.
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