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 Azerbaijani independent political scientists consider that the decision by many opposition parties to boycott the upcoming presidential elections will not have a negative affect on the results of elections. “Foreign states and international organizations will continue to cooperate with Azerbaijan as an oil country,” Zardusht Alizade, an independent political scientist, told Trend News. The political scientist believes that non-participation of Azerbaijani leading opposition parties in the elections is political suicide. Independent political scientist Rustam Mammaov told Trend News that the opposition parties, which want to boycott the elections, have already lost the elections. Azerbaijani citizens and international organizations realize this fact. Boycott of presidential elections both in Azerbaijan and international arena is recognized as weakness and lack of skill. The step taken by opposition does not understand as serious one. |
 Fuad Aliyev, the chairman of the opposition Azerbaijani Liberal Democratic Party (ALDP), submitted his documents concerning nomination of his candidature for the presidency to the Central Elections Commission (CEC), the ALDP told Trend News. In April, the ALDP presidium decided to nominate Fuad Aliyev, the chairman of the party, for the post of Azerbaijani President and this decision was officially confirmed last week. Under the Law, the CEC should submit subscription lists to launch the signature collecting campaign.. The opposition ALDP was established in 1999 and officially registered. |
 Ahmad Oruj, the chairman of the oppositional Azadlig (Freedom) Party of Azerbaijan, intends to nominate his candidature in the presidential elections. “At present I want to participate in the presidential elections. A final decision will be taken when our allies and the Supreme Assembly’s positions are clarified,” Oruj told Trend News on 4 August. According to Oruj, he does not join the common policy, which is pursued by the opposition. “The parties, which decided to boycott the elections, isolated themselves. The unification of boycott parties is absolutely nonsense,” the party chairman said. Oruj said that if his candidature was officially registered, he would participathe in the elections till the end. |
 Ed Towns U.S. Congressman from 10th district, New York has become kirve (kind of godfather) of Kamal Amiraliyev. APA’s US bureau reports that member of Working Groups on Azerbaijan Turkey Ed Towns made this statement after meeting with half-month Kamal’s father Naimi Amiraliyev, officer of US Navy. Naimi Amiraliyev also met with Jean Schmidt, Congressman from 2nd district of Ohio and called him to enter the Working Group on Azerbaijan. Ms. Schmidt promised to join the Working Group on Azerbaijan and said she would send necessary document to the Working Group. |
 President of “For Azerbaijan” Public Forum Eldar Namazov cannot pass final decision on participation or absence in the elections, Namazov told APA. He will attend the election campaign and he has debated and assessed the situation with persons, who will collect signatures. Namazov will pass final decision on August 9. “We do not intend to pass hasty decision”, he said. |
 “It is difficult to forecast how absence of opposition will influence on election process. It has happened recently. But this is their decision”, Sergey Kuznetsov, the associate of the Elections and Referendums Department of the CE Venice Commission. He noted that the Venice Commission worked basing on appeals of CE member countries and CE organizations and it is not expected to restore the work on Electoral Code of Azerbaijan during the elections. “We should wait for October 15 and conclusion of everything”, he said. To him, if there is need and appeal, it will be possible to continue the work on Electoral Code. Kuznetsov added that the seminar would be organized by the Venice Commission and CEC for lawyers late in August. |
 Gudrat Isag Isagov, leading scientific worker of ANAS Institute of Physics nominate for Presidency, APA reports. His documents have been sent to CEC today. “I have been nominated for Presidency taking into account of importance of presidential elections for our state and nation, unique and great effort for putting forward alternative policy, economic and scientific programs, unimportant and uninteresting decisions on absence and boycotting the elections”, the statement says. |
 MP Igbal Agazadeh, Head of Umid Party and 6 more people attacked on “Ideal” newspaper’s editorial office. Agazadeh used force against guard of editorial office Taleh and entered founder Nazim Guliyev’s room and broke furniture and equipments in the room. Acting Editor-in-Chief Shakir Agayev appealed to law-enforcement bodies. Founder of the newspaper Nazim Guliyev stated that Agazadeh protested articles on him and took such step. MP Igbal Agazadeh declined information. |
 Hafiz Hajiyev, the Chairman of the Azerbaijani opposition Modern Musavat Party (MMP), has submitted the documents regarding his candidature to the upcoming presidential elections to the Central Election Commission (CEC). Party informed Trend News on 4 August. Hajiyev’s candidature was nominated in the meeting of MMP on 19 July. Under the legislation, the signed documents returned to the candidate within five days. Later, the candidate starts to collect signatures. From 1992 to 1993, Hajiyev had been the chairman in the State concern Azerbalig. Before, Hajiyev was a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan and Musavat party. In 2000, Hajiyev founded MMP and in 2003, the party was granted a state license. |
 The MP Group of the Musavat party, which represents opposition in Parliament, will boycott the upcoming presidential elections. “Four members of the group are the members of Musavat party and they will fulfill the party’s decision to boycott the elections. I will not participate in the elections as well,” Panah Huseyn, a member of Musavat MP Group, told Trend News. MP considers that the decision to boycott the presidential elections by majority opposition correspond the current pre-election situation in the country. Musavat MP Group will announce its finale decision regarding to boycott the elections in September. |
 The supreme assembly of the Azerbaijan Social Prosperity Party (ASPP) officially nominated country’s current President Ilham Aliyev for presidential elections, party said to Trend News on 4 August. On 29 July, the convention of the ASPP decided to support Ilham Aliyev as a presidential contender. “The Azerbaijan Social Prosperity Party developed its own action plan intended for the victory of Ilham Aliyev at the elections,” party said. Azerbaijan Social Prosperity Party, supporting the authorities’ policy, was founded by Huseyn Kazimli. |
 Governing New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) determined the number of the watchdogs for presidential elections. “NAP unites 450,000 members. We can appoint watchdogs to every of the 5,000 polling stations. Members of the party have been selected for this purpose. Our watchdogs will number at least 10,000,” Executive Secretary and Deputy Chairman of the NAP Ali Ahmadov said to Trend News on 4 August. According to Ahmadov, in conformity with certain norms of the Election Code one watchdog may be selected by the candidate and one by the party which nominated the candidate. NAP will use the utmost of the opportunities provided by the legislation. |
 Azerbaijani parties, which will not participate in the presidential elections, can create new format of cooperation. “A new force centre may be created with the participation of opposition parties, which will not join the elections,” Arif Hajili, the head of the Executive Centre of the Musavat party, told Trend News on 4 August. Hajili stated that Musavat is ready for the talks on unification of the opposition. On 4 August, Sardar Jalaloglu, the chairman of the oppositional Azerbaijani Democratic Party (ADP), told Trend News that a new situation aroused in the country. “We should assess this situation and take some steps. However, first, international organizations and government should assess this situation. We must wait for their response. |
 The opposition Azerbaijani Musavat party decided to observe the upcoming presidential elections. “In its meeting on 4 August the party’s Assembly decided to observe actively the elections campaign,” Arif Hajili, the head of Musavat Central Executive Body, told Trend News after the gathering on 4 August. According to Hajili, Musavat’s Divan held discussions on Musavat’s Assembly, which took place on 2 August. “We exchanged opinions on responses followed after Musavat’s refusal to participate in the elections. At the same time, the Divan heard a report by its Elections Department on legislation specifying the opportunities granted to parties, not joining the presidential elections, to conduct observation in the polls and to hold political actions,” Hajili said. Divan assessed the Assembly’s decision as a common opinion of the majority in the party. Hajili said that Musavat did not intend to support any party. “This decision is not discussed because major opposition parties will not participate in the elections.” |
 The opposition Azerbaijani National Independence Party (ANIP) repeatedly appealed to Mazahir Panahov, the chairman of the Central Elections Commission (CEC). “In the appeal, we demanded the CEC chairman to take measures concerning persons, who made political statements against our party. Otherwise, we will bring an action against the CEC,” Ali Orujov, the deputy chairman of the ANIP, told Trend News on 4 August. On 7 June, the party claimed that the only member group of the ANIP was not included into the voting list. The party said that the names of more than 35 members of the party were nit included in the list. The CEC’s representatives blamed the party for politicization of this issue. After it, the ANIP appealed to the CEC’s chairman. |
 A monioring was launched over newspapers due to the presidential elections in Azerbaijan. “The key aim of the monitoring is newspapers to follow the requirements in the Election Code on the threshold of presidentiasl elections, as well as to inform population about the true information regarding the results of elections,” the Centre of Social and Economic Investigation ‘Development’ informed Trend News. |
 Azerbaijani religious Islamic party will not participate in the upcoming presidential elections. “We cannot participate in the elections as the Justice Ministry did not issue a license to our party,” Mohsun Samadov, the Chairman of the Islamic Party told Trend News. Samadov said that participation of the Islamic party in the presidential elections depended on the state registration of the party by the Ministry. However, the Islamic party will not support any candidate to the presidential post. |
 “If the main figures of Azerbaijani opposition pass decision on boycotting the presidential elections, or refusing to participate in the elections, it may have a negative influence on the process,” co-rapporteur of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Azerbaijan Andres Herkel told APA. He considers that it is be better to participate in the elections, rather than to stay beyond the process. “The voters should have broad choice. Besides, atmosphere of political diversification should be created in the country on the eve of the elections,” he said. |
 Azerbaijan returned four Armenian captives to Armenia on 4 August, ArmInfo reported. The transfer procedures took place in the Nakhchivan direction of the Armenian and Azerbaijani border at 12.20PM on 4 August. The transfer took place as result of the talks of the sides. Armenian citizens, including Vanik Zmboyan (Gavar), Artem Zograbyan (Noraduz), Karen Torosyan (Noraduz) and Agasi Yenkoyan (Noraduz) were caught by Azerbaijan in the early hours of 19 April. At present the relevant statement is prepared for the media at the Defense Ministry, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend News. The Defense Ministry has not revealed details, yet. |
 NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) will not send observers for the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, spokesperson for NATO PA told APA. The spokesperson said that the assembly mainly observed parliamentary elections, and its decision was connected with it. “NATO Parliamentary Assembly observes the presidential elections, too. But this happens in special cases”, she said. The spokesperson linked it with the reduction of NATO PA’s financial allocations. |
 Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) will hold international conference on “Azerbaijanis and Americans, as we see each others”, Foreign Ministry’s Press Service told APA. The conference to be held on August 13 aims to provide information to Azerbaijani community about political realities of the US and American community about ongoing processes in Azerbaijan. Political commentators of Times, Newsweek, The New Republic and other newspapers and magazines, representatives of mass media, NGOs and state structures will participate in the event. Attendees will debate the role of media in the formation of foreign policy, elections in the US and their influence on world policy, Azerbaijan-US relations during the conference. |
 Central Election Commission (CEC) has already received appeals of two candidates for presidential elections, CEC Press Service told APA. YAP presented documents of Ilham Aliyev to CEC for approval of presidential candidacy on August 2. Umid Party presented documents of Igbal Agazadeh to CEC for approval. CEC will consider the documents within five days according to the demands of Article 54.9 of the Electoral Code and pass whether the candidates will be approved or not and representative of the political party has been informed. Modern Musavat Party has sent documents of Hafiz Hajiyev to CEC for the registration of his candidacy. |
 “If you pay attention to Matthew Bryza’s statements, you will see that he either refutes them the next day, or expresses quite different views. That’s why I do not want to comment on Bryza’s recent statement”, Spokesman fro Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry Khazar Ibrahim said while taking a stance on the statement of OSCE Minsk American Co-Chair Matthew Bryza in Moscow, APA reports. Khazar Ibrahim lined up the issues on the table as follows: the conflict will be solved stage-by-stage, units of Armenian army will be withdrawn from Azerbaijani territories, all internally displaced people (IDP) of Azerbaijan will return to their native lands and Nagorno Karabkh’s status will be determined within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity only after the communities have normal relations. The diplomat said the importance of the negotiations was that the process continued, but any progress was out of discussion. |
 Tekamul (Evolution) Party has made a decision to support candidacy of Gudrat Hasanguliyev, chairman of the United Azerbaijan Popular Front Party in the presidential election on October 15. The party’s press service told APA that the decision had been made at the meeting of the Central Council. It was also decided to hold the congress of Tekamul Party late in August. /APA/ |
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