Editor's note: statement by former Musavat Party functionary was added after first paragraph
Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 10 / Trend T.Hajiyev /
The Azerbaijani opposition Musavat party is close to collapse, ex-Musavat Assembly Chairman Sulheddin Akbar said at a news conference today.
"The Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) has left the crisis behind," Akbar said. "If Musavat and PFPA do not unite, Musavat will face difficulties."
Akbar and Musavat Assembly member Ibrahim Ibrahimli resigned on Nov. 29. Akbar said he resigned due to a disagreement with the party's strategic course. Meanwhile, Ibrahimli said the party's leadership simply did not trust him.
In their joint statement made on Nov.30, Akbar and Ibrahimli said they resigned as they did not agree with antagonistic opinions of some party members.
Musavat head Isa Gambar proposed to unite Musavat and PFPA on July 15. The PFPA decided to join Musavat at a congress on Sept. 25.
Akbar spoke about those that would happen if the union of parties does not take place.
"Two members of the party's assembly have left the party. If the parties do not unite, we can expect more casualties in the Musavat Party. The expectations of society become negative, and the Musavat Party is more exposed to public criticism. If Musavat reject a helping hand of the PFPA, this will lead to bad consequences," said Akbar.
According to a former functionary of the party, some people put their personal interests above the idea of combining the Musavat and Popular Front Party, they opposed against this union.
Musavat was established in October 1911 in Baku. On May 28, 1918 in Tbilisi, together with several other parties, Musavat announced Azerbaijan's independence. Due to Azerbaijan's occupation by the Red Army in 1920, Musavat moved its activities underground.
The party was relaunched on Nov. 7, 1992. Gambar was elected as the party chief. A former parliamentary speaker, Gambar ran in the 2003 presidential elections. The party has four MPs.