Azerbaijani TV Channel One, Baku, in Azeri
19 Sep 05

AZERI ELECTION: RULING PARTY ACCUSES OPPOSITION OF TIES WITH ARMENIA

Ali Ahmadov, executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party,
slammed Musavat Party leader Isa Qambar for “lying”. He disproved a
statement by Isa Qambar that only wages of rapid reaction forces were
raised. Ahmadov also tried to disprove Isa Qambar’s statement that
allegedly officers in the army were paid less than police. He accused
the opposition of supporting Armenians. Ahmadov said that orange
flags carried by the Azadliq election bloc and shirts worn by
representatives of this bloc resemble Armenia’s flag.

Malik Islamov from the Liberal Party of Azerbaijan said that he had
resigned from the law-enforcement agencies in protest against
lawlessness and arbitrariness. He slammed the head of the Azizbayov
district executive authorities and election officers for interfering
in the election and propagating for a candidate of the ruling New
Azerbaijan Party. He urged voters to be careful and attentive in
making their choices. By voting for me, you will vote for democracy,
justice, he concluded.

Rauf Arifoglu, deputy chairman of the Musavat Party, said that he had
planned to speak on certain issues. However, as the first speaker in
the election broadcast, Ali Ahmadov, slammed Musavat Party leader Isa
Qambar, he decided to change his topic and disprove what “the
representative of the tribal regime” tried to say. Azerbaijanis want
to be free from the current clan regime, Arifoglu said. He said that
the only possible way to get rid of the clan and tribal regime is to
vote for opposition representatives. He rejected President Ilham
Aliyev’s statement on creation of 300,000 jobs as incorrect.

Speaking on behalf of the New Policy (YeS) election bloc, the
director of the Media Rights Institute, Rasid Hacili, said that a
businessman had wanted to commit suicide at the Azerbaijani Supreme
Court. He stated that bureaucracy in courts runs against the
president’s statements to create suitable conditions for the private
sector. Equality and justice will always be violated if courts make
decisions against the constitution and without respecting human
rights. He called to vote for candidates who are really able to live
up to their pledges and change the country.