Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend S.Ilhamgizi / Two candidates, Rauf Gurbanov and Seydaga Muradov, will fight for the post of the Chairman of the Azerbaijan Communist Party (ACP).
Recently the Chairman of the party, Ramiz Ahmadov, who headed the party since 1993, died. After his death, the party divided into two blocs, supporters of Rauf Gurbanov and those backing Rustam Shahsuvarov. According to Shahsuvarov, the majority in the party requires Gurbanov's dismissal from the party. He said that the members of the party want Seydaga Muradov to head the party.
Shahsuvarov and his supporters accuse Gurbanov of efforts to split the group and provoke a conflict within the party. ACP members consider that Gurbanov has tried to illegally obtain the leadership position of the party.
According to Shahsuvarov, Gurbanov lives in Ganja and only his relatives reside in the city that supports him. Shahsuvarov said that Gurbanov presents himself as the first Deputy Chairman, but there is no such post in the party's Charter. However, Gurbanov himself considers that it is exactly the Charter of the party that empowers him to call himself First Deputy Chairman and this status is recognized by international organizations.
According to him, in the case of the Chairman's absence, his authorities transfer to him the authority of First Deputy Chairman. Shahsuvarov and his supporters claim that there is no such position in the party, Gurbanov said. "They are engaged in provocation and try to prevent the authorities from transferring the Chairmanship to me," he stressed. According to him, he is supported not only by his relatives but also by 95% of party members.
Gurbanov said that he will attend the Plenum of the party on 22 September and will fight for the leadership of the party.
A group of members plans to dismiss him from the party during the Plenum.