Azerbaijan, Baku, 2 December/ Trend corr I. Alizade/ The final report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) who observed the presidential election in Azerbaijan, described reasons for non-participation of the opposition in the election as knowing about their failure beforehand and as a move to win the upcoming parliamentary election.
"The Council of Europe called for dialogue within opposition who should share responsibility of the election. The organization who was a proponent of a dialogue between the government and opposition, called opposition for a dialogue among each other for the first time," Samad Seyidov, head of Azerbaijan's delegation to PACE and Vice President of the Organization, told press conference he gave on the results of the meeting of the PACE Bureau and Standing Committee that took place several days ago in Paris.
Azerbaijan held presidential election on October 15, 2008.
Center for Opposition Cooperation includes Azadlig bloc (Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, Liberal Party, Citizens and Development Party), Musavat Party and For Azerbaijan public forum.
At early September, these political organizations signed a joint statement on recognition of the presidential elections to be held on 15 October as illegitimate. Government to be formed after the presidential elections is announced illegitimate in the statement.
The final report by the PACE observation, mission who monitored presidential election in Azerbaijan, indicates that the observation mission is regretful about five opposition parties' boycotting election.
Seyidov said the Standing Committee has decided not to discuss Azerbaijan's presidential election in the PACE winter session.
The report says that PACE observers consider statements about absence of a true and equal competition in the election to be groundless. The report says opposition parties' taking part in the upcoming parliamentary election will enable to hold competitive election, Seyidov said.
Azerbaijan will hold parliamentary election in 2010.
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