Azerbaijan, Baku, 6 August / Trend / All presidential contenders in Azerbaijan will enjoy equal conditions during the election campaign, the head of the Political Analysis & Information at the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Elnur Aslanov said to the Echo newspaper.
"That regards their right to use visual agitation, air time on television and radio. Azerbaijani President several times confirmed that. On the whole, we intend to hold the elections in maximum transparent, open and democratic conditions," he said.
According to Aslanov, rather open and transparent situation is developing in Azerbaijan to enable democratic elections. "Both the changes in the Election and the general political situation testify for that," he said.
Over 60 political operations are functioning in Azerbaijan. Several of them have already divulged their intention to take an active part in the upcoming presidential elections. "From this standpoint, the elections are supposes to take place in rather competitive and open climate," said Aslanov.
As to refusal of several political parties to take part in the elections, Aslanov said participation or non-participation of several political forces in the elections is determined by their social basis and public support. "If they do not have the support, so there is no sense for them to participate," he said.
According to Aslanov, availability of alternatives and proposals regarding the state and society development strategy is also important. "If they have neither of them, so the organizations have nothing new to propose to the society. If they cannot find an alternative development way to the one presented by Azerbaijan's governing elite, so it is just politically unprofitable for the political organizations to take part in the elections," he said.
Aslanov said the opposition political organizations have failed in recent years to present to the public any specific and alternative position, ideas and views regarding the state and society development strategy. Furthermore, they virtually nullified their social basis and public support.
"The policy being pursued by Ilham Aliyev certainly embodies the development course of Azerbaijan intended for modernization both in economic field, for which the intensive growth of country's financial and economic opportunities testifies, and in political sphere, for which country's growing regional significance and the social consensus in Azerbaijan testifies," said Aslanov.