Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend S.Ilhamgizi / Azerbaijani opposition parties consider that the ruling New Azerbaijan Party is not interested in carrying out reforms in the elections legislation, said the representatives of the opposition parties at a meeting with the political parties organized by the Council of Europe and IFES Baku Office, the Azerbaijan National Independence Party's Secretary for Elections and Work with Municipalities, Elshan Mustafayev, informed Trend.
Organized by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, the OSCE Office for Human Rights, and the Democratic Institutes and Government of Azerbaijan, on 9 November a meeting will take place to discuss the amendments to the Electoral Code. The meeting will also be attended by the leaders of the political parties.
Today's meeting was the first preparation stage for these discussions.
Irrespective of the invitation, the ruling and pro-governmental parties did not participate in the meeting. The representatives of the opposition parties stated that if the ruling party was interested in improving the elections legislation, its representatives had to attend these discussions.
The ruling party's Press Secretary, Huseyn Pashayev, said that they did not receive an invitation to the meeting.
According to the information by the Council of Europe's Baku Office, IFES sent an invitation to the New Azerbaijan Party. The Press Secretary of the Baku Office, Ilgar Ibrahimoglu, said that the absence of the New Azerbaijan Party is a misunderstanding because the Council of Europe sent an invitation to them. He said that the format of the 9 November meeting has not yet been confirmed.