Azerbaijan, Baku, 7 November / Trend corr. I.Alizade / The ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) supports to restore proportional election system.
"It is important to restore proportional election system and to hold the parliamentary elections under mixed system alongside with majority system," MP Siyavush Novruzov, the deputy executive secretary of the NAP, told Trend on 7 November.
Both proportional (list of party) and majority (single mandate) election systems were used during the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan by 2002. A referendum took place on reform of the Constitution in the same year and proportional system was removed.
There is a need to restore proportional election system, Eldar Ibrahimov, the chairman of the standing parliamentary commission for agrarian policy and member of the NAP Political Council, told Trend on 7 November.
"A total of 50% of MPs should be elected with proportional and 50% with majority election system. I supported removal of proportional election system in the past. However, at present the time demands to restore proportional election system. Our neighboring countries use at least 50/50 mixed system," he stressed.
Proportional election system should be restored, because it displays power of the party and people's trust on them, Hasan Karimov, the deputy chairman of the opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), told Trend on 7 November. Restoration of proportional election system occupied an important place in struggle of the PFPA to improve the election legislation.
"We appraise the ruling party's support in this issue, which can be solved through referendum during the municipal elections," Karimov said.
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