Azerbaijan, Baku, 13 June / Trend corr. E.Babayev / There is a great likelihood that the upcoming presidential elections will be held in absolutely democratic conditions. "Candidate from the ruling party never had such a clear chance to win in elections so far. I believe that exactly due to this reason the authorities must be interested in holding fair and democratic elections," Akif Shahbazov, Chairman of the Open Society Party (OSP), told Trend on 13 June.
Azerbaijan will host the presidential elections on 15 October. Musavat party has already nominated its Chairman Isa Gambar, Azerbaijan Democratic Party - Sardar Jalaloglu and the Greens Party nominated Mais Gulaliyev. The head of the public forum Eldar Namazov stands for presidency as an independent candidate. The governing New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) will nominate country's current President Ilam Aliyev. Bloc Azadlig uniting three opposition parties (Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, Citizen and Development Party, Liberal Party) intends to boycott the elections.
Shahbazov said that it would be wrong to say that the forthcoming elections would not be democratic taking as a ground the draft on Supplements and Changes into the Election Code.
"Holding of democratic elections does not entirely depend on the Election Code. One can fake the results of elections even with an ideal Election Code. The relevant issue is the political will of the authorities," Shahbazov said.
OSP was founded in April 2007. Ex-speaker of Azerbaijani Parliament, Rasul Guliyev, was the leader of the opposition Open Society Party. From 2000 to the February of 2007, Guliyev was the chairman of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (DPA). Guliyev's supporters left DPA, held their congress and founded the Open Society Party.
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