Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr S. Ilhamgizi / Azerbaijani Azadlig bloc will not participate in the meetings to discuss improvement of the Azerbaijani Election Code to be organized by the CE Venice Commission and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) in Baku on 7 to 8 November, a co-chairman of Azadlig Ali Karimli said to Trend on 6 November.
The meetings will discuss changes in the Election Code and the appeals regarding elections and re-forming of election committees.
According to Karimli, the meetings will involve 17 or 18 parties. Therefore, Azadlig refused to participate. The bloc insists elections committees should be formed of the parties, which took part in the last parliamentary elections and received over 1% of the votes (governing New Azerbaijan Party and opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA, Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (DPA), Liberal Party of Azerbaijan (LPA), Musavat). "The only suggestions made by the Azadlig, DPA and Musavat are those made by OSCE in 2002: OSCE suggested Azerbaijani election committees to include the opposition parties which participated in the elections and received over 1% of the votes. This criterion was reflected in our report," Karimli said.
The discussions to take place on 7, 8 and 9 November will be of formal character. If trusted committees are established and a favourable election situation is created, Azadlig will take part in the upcoming presidential elections, he said.
Azadlig includes three opposition parties - the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, the Liberal party, and the Citizens and Development Party.