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 Purpose of the monitoring begun on 1 August is to assist in lightening of the election campaign in mass media and securing equal participation of all political forces. Council of Europe recommends that mass media (MM) must enlighten the election campaigns in balanced, just and precise manner. The monitoring to be carried out on 7 national TV channels and 8 newspapers will continue till October 15 and reports will be submitted in every 15 days. The monitoring includes calculation of air time of information materials and political advertisement in TV channels, as well as protection of objectivity and balance in all MM. Meanwhile, the total results of the monitoring will be announced after presidential elections. Information presented in TV channels after official registration about presidential candidates will be represented as a negative, positive and neutral assessment. Meanwhile, the monitoring also reflects international opinion, declarations and thoughts of the representatives of foreign states and international organizations. |
 An expert group to investigate appeals on the threshold of presidential elections has been founded in the Central Election Commission (CEC). Group unites nine members from CEC. Similar expert groups are expected to be founded in lower election commissions. Azerbaijan will host the presidential elections on 15 October 2008. So far, 14 contenders have nominated their candidatures to the presidential post. |
 At its congress on 18 August, Yurddash oppositional party of Azerbaijan made a decision supporting candidate from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), the current Head of State Ilham Aliyev, in the Presidential elections. “Yurddash Party considers that the President Ilham Aliyev possesses the highest chances amongst the candidates, and therefore, the participants in the congress made a decision to support the candidate from NAP, the chairman of Yurddash Party, former MP Mayis Safarli, told TrendNews on 18 August. Yurddash Party was created at the beginning of 1990. For long time, it has been represented in the democratic congress and other oppositional unions. Safarli was an MP in 2000 - 2005. |
 Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan has approved the candidature of a member from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) to consultative position. Aydin Mirzazade is the member of the Political Council of NAP. On 2 August, the candidature of the Azerbaijani incumbent President Ilham Aliyev was nominated to the presidential post. So far, Aliyev’s candidature has been supported by the Ana Vatan and Social Welfare parties, Trade Union Confederation and Azerbaijani Red Half Moon Society. The opposition Vahdat party took a decision to support Aliyev’s candidature. |
 On 18 August, the Central Elections Commission (CEC) confirmed the nomination of two more people for presidential elections, including Teymur Guliyev, advisor of Madaniyyet (Culture) newspaper, and Suleyman Guliyev, the editor-in-chief of Ekspertiza (Examination) newspaper. Number of presidential contenders, confirmed by CEC, reached 14. The CEC registered the candidatures of the chairman of the governing New Azerbaijan Party and current President Ilham Aliyev at a meeting held on 16 August. |
 The Social Commission, established by the Azerbaijani Council of Press in accordance with the resolution of the fifth meeting of journalists, started activity on the concrete work plan. The Council informed Trend News on 18 August. Council’s fifth meeting was held on 20 June. The fisrt Social Commission to solve journalists’ problem was established in the Council. The Commission would analysis the problems in the sphere of regional press and the state of country journalists. For this purpose, Mushvig Alaskarli, chairman of Social Commission, went to south regions. Alaskarli held meetings in the edition houses in Yeni Gun – Jalilabad, Yeni Gun and Ashkarlig –Lankaran, Yeni hayat, Canub khabarlari, as well as held discussions with regional administrations. |
 Former Chairman of General Assembly of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), Gulamhuseyn Alibeyli, will withdraw his presidential candidate, a reliable source told TrendNews on 18 August. Alibayli resigned from the party on 8 August. He refused to explain details of his resignation and said that he would be engaged in political activity independently. Then Alibayli nominated his candidature for the presidential post. The Central Elections Commission of Azerbaijan (CEC) confirmed the presidential candidature of Gulamhuseyn Alibayli at a meeting held on 16 August. |
 The observation mission of Commonwealth of Independent States will observe the presidential elections in Azerbaijan on October 15, Rovzat Gasimov, Head of the International Relations Department of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan told APA. He said CIS Parliamentary Assembly responded the CEC invitation several days ago. Gasimov noted that members and authorities of the observation mission would be announced in the next few days. |
 Azerbaijan has no intention to leave the Commonwealth of Independent States currently, said Khazar Ibrahim, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, APA reports. He said joining and leaving any organization was a sovereign right of every country. |
 Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf has resigned, he told the nation during a televised speech. According to APA, Pervez Musharraf said he always defended interest of his country and people and rejected corruption charges against him. Musharraf accused Pakistani Parliament in the groundless claims against him and said those people tried to present false allegations as true. Pakistani Parliament intends to begin impeachment process against President Musharraf. Only the President’s resignation can secure his inviolability right. |
 English course will be provided for the military servicemen in Sofia (August 18-December 12) according to the bilateral cooperation plan signed between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria. Similar course is organized in Vilnius (August 18-December 12) on the basis of bilateral cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and Lithuania. Azerbaijani officers will attend mastership course on the Civil Military Relations (August 20, 2008 – March 26, 2010) in San Antonio, USA within the bilateral cooperation plan signed between Azerbaijan and the United States. They will also attend the meeting of Military Legal Servicemen in Stuttgart, Germany (August 25-28), expert talks on the material-technical maintenance of the military forces in Bonn, Germany (August 25-27), press service of the Defense Ministry told APA. |
 “Oil transportation through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which has been suspended since August 5 due to the blast and fire, will be resumed in a few days,” Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler said, APA reports. He said no evidence could be found to support claims of sabotage for the blast that caused fire on the pipeline. “An intensive study is ongoing. Oil transportation via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline will be resumed in a few days, if there are no problems with the other routes. |
 People, who were injured as a result of blast at the Abu Bakir mosque, were taken to the Medical Clinic Centre. According to the Centre, 12 people, who were injured in this incident, were taken to the Centre. Two of them including Vagif Abbasov and Tayyar Valiyaddinov died at the hospital. Zaur Rahimov, Ilgar Vakilov and Royal Isgandarov were discharged after the primary medical aid. At present, Sahib Xasayev, a 32-year old resident of Shamakhi Region (got stomach, right and left hips and left arm injury), 23-year old Rashad Jamalov, a resident of Nasimi District of Baku (arm and shin injury), 27-year old Dashgin Ibrahimov, a resident of Nizami District of Baku (neck and left arm injury), 24-year old Namig Mammadov, a resident of Amirjan Settlement of Surakhani District in Baku (breast, stomach arm and foot injury), 25-year old Vugar Salahov, (breast, left arm injury) are at the Centre. |
 On 18 August the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, signed an order awarding the employees of the State Border Service due to high achievements obtained during realization of their duty and on occasion of professional holiday of the employees f the Border Service. According to order, three servicemen of the State Border Service were awarded the medal “Flag of Azerbaijan”, three – medal of third degree “For service to Native Land”, two - medal “For Native Land”, five - “For courage”, 33 “For military service”. |
 Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry invited international organizations to watchdog the upcoming presidential elections. “The invited organizations are OSCE, PACE, GUAM and CIS. OSCE and PACE have already defined their observers,” Khazar Ibrahim, a spokesperson in the Foreign Ministry, said to journalists on 18 August. “OSCE will send 30 long standing and 450 short standing observers headed by Boris Firlish, Slovenian diplomat. OSCE’s mission arrives in Baku on 7 September,” Ibrahim said. PACE is expected to send 30 observers headed by Andreas Herkel. |
 The Democratic Azerbaijan World Party (ADWP) nominated the current President Ilham Aliyev, the chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) for the presidential elections at the third conference of the party held on 18 August. Mammad Alizade, the chairman of the DAWP, told a conference that he was sure Ilham Aliyev would win with majority of votes in the upcoming presidential elections. He offered to nominate Ilham Aliyev who is supported by the majority of the Azerbaijani people, and members of the conference supported his offer unanimously. About 650 members of the party took part in the conference. |
 The explosion in a mosque in Baku aims at tensing socio-political situation in Azerbaijan prior to the presidential elections, Aydin Mirzazade, member of the Standing Security and Defense Commission of the Azerbaijani Parliament said to TrendNews. “The explosion of mosque in Azerbaijan, a country with religious tolerance aims at causing confrontation within a country and creating negative opinion on the international arena and in the East,” he said. On 17 August at 9:00 p.m. local time, an explosion took place in Abu-Bekir Mosque in Baku during the evening prayers. According to the witnesses, an unknown person broke the window with stone and dropped two grenades RQD-1 produced in Russia killing three and wounding 8. “Those who organized and committed the act of terror should be found and severely punished. Mosque and other worship places are holy sites. Those who commit acts of terror in these places are inhuman,” Mirzazade said. |
 New communal techniques brought to the republic for improvement of material-technical maintenance of housing and utilities infrastructure have been exhibited at the Azadlig (Freedom) Square in Baku. President Ilham Aliyev has been familiarized with the modern communal vehicles, their technical capacities and rules of usage, Press Service of the President told APA. The President has given appropriate recommendations and tasks and said new equipments distinguished for their appearance met the foreign modern standards. “These measures must be developed in future and every work done in Azerbaijan, as well as in Baku should be at the world’s level”, said the President. |
 Azerbaijan Social-Democrat Party (ASDP) passed decision not to participate in the presidential elections. The decision was made at the meeting of ASDP Central Committee on August 18, the party sources told APA. Members of the Central Committee related their decision with anti-democratic atmosphere in the country. They also discussed the socio-political situation in the country and other issues as well. |
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