Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec 20 /Trend E.Mekhtiyev/
The Azerbaijan opposition has failed to appear as a single entity this year, chairman of the Vahdat, Tahir Kerimli said in an interview with Trend on Monday.
Mr Kerimli noted that there wasn't a government-opposition relationship, but as the leader of the public in a political sense, in Azerbaijan this year.
"There were attempts to revive the opposition in April, but it did not understand that it must have a certain force for the implementation of its requirements. It means that for outside mass actions, to dissolve parliament and hold new parliamentary elections, the opposition must have the force and a social base which is something the opposition does not have," Mr Kerimli said.
He went on to say that the opposition relied on its former social structure, but this was unable to lead it to victory in the elections of 2003 and 2005. People have not forgotten it and don't see such an organisation or leader who could lead to victory. The previous situation of uncertainty in this sense is not recoverable.
"One of the reasons for the weakness of the Azerbaijani opposition is the personal ambitions of its opposition leaders," Mr Kerimli said. "Every opposition leader focuses on his own charisma because he wants to create an organisation united around his credibility. They run as authoritarian treating other parties as satellites orbiting them.
"It comes from the weakness of the political outlook, lack of patriotism, or desire to sacrifice personal ambition for the country".
He felt that the weakness of the opposition plays an important role and that its leaders are funded from different sources.
"One is funded from the outside, the other from the internal ruling forces and the third has established his business and is funded from there. Different sources, dictate their demands and creating disunity among the opposition and of course, it leads to a lack of unity," Mr Kerimli concluded.