Azerbaijan, Baku, 11 June / Trend corr. E.Babayev / The ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) blamed the parties, which intend to boycott the upcoming presidential elections, of political cowardice. "Refusal to participate in the presidential elections is quite similar to escape of a sportsman from the competition. I believe that the opposition parties, which refuse from participating in the upcoming elections, demonstrate their ineffectiveness and indecisiveness in political issues," Ali Ahmadov, Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of NAP, stated.
The presidential elections in Azerbaijan will be held in October 2008.
The Azadlig bloc, that unites three opposition parties - Popular Front, Citizen and Development and Liberal, has stated that the bloc would boycott the upcoming presidential elections. Isa Gambar- leader of Musavat party, Sardar Jalaloglu-chairman of Democratic party and Mais Gulmammadov- Chairman of Green party of Azerbaijan, have already nominated their candidature to the presidential post. On 5 May, Eldar Namazov, Head of the Public forum 'For Azerbaijan, stated that he would also nominated his candidature to the presidential post. The candidature of Ilham Aliyev will be nominated from the ruling New Azerbaijan party.
The Parliament of Azerbaijan passed the Bill on Supplements and Changes into the Election Code on 2 June. According to the Bill, the presidential candidates are prohibited to conduct election campaign in the state-owned TV channels, radios and newspapers, to stick agitation papers on walls and private enterprises, with the term of election campaign being shortened from four months to 75 days. Furthermore, the number of signatures required for the registration of the presidential candidates has been decreased from 45,000 to 40,000. Candidates do not have to make deposits for election campaign. They will only collect signatures. Opposition remained dissatisfied with the supplements and changes.
Ahmadov said that there is not even a single political force in Azerbaijan, which can oppose NAP, as well as hinder the projects that the party plans to implement. "There is neither a party nor a leader who can boycott such an essential political campaign like presidential elections. The other issue is that there is not a single candidate who can withstand the candidate from NAP, Ilham Aliyev. The opposition representatives see that they are deprived of the population support. Opposition has no chances to win in the current situation," Ahmadov said.
NAP was founded in Nakhchivan in 1992. The all-nation leader, the late ex-President Heydar Aliyev was the Party's first Chairman. President Ilham Aliyev is the current chairman of the Party, which has been in power for 14 years.
Ali Aliyev, a member of the Azadlig bloc and chairman of the Citizen and Development Party, stated that boycott of elections and escape of a sportsman from competition cannot be compared. "Equal conditions for every sportsman are always created in the competitions. However, we have not been provided with such conditions and it turns out that the authorities are a weak sportsman. Otherwise, they would not have changed the conditions in their own favor. Even Mazahir Panahov, who heads the Central Election Commission, also supports the authorities. International organizations, which will watchdog the election process, have their own interest. What kind of competition can take place in such conditions?"
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