AZERBAIJANI ELECTIONS: ALI KERIMLI – CAUCASIAN REVOLUTIONARY OF THE PRO-WESTERN ORIENTATION
Asim Oku, AIA Turkish and Caucasian section

Axis News
Oct 3 2005

Chairman of the progressive wing of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party
Ali Kerimli

Ali Kerimli (Ali Kerimov) was born on April, 28, 1965 in Saatli
region in the Eastern part of Azerbaijan. After the military service
in the Soviet army in 1985 he studied at the Law department of Baku
State University. During his studies he established and headed Yurd
(Homeland) movement, supporting carrying out of democratic reforms
in the country. In November, 1988, Yurd, supported by intellectuals,
organized student’s meetings of protest in Baku against the communistic
regime. Special units of the security services were used to oppress
the manifestations.

In July 1989 Ali Kerimli led his Yurd into a newly created Popular
Front of Azerbaijan (PFA) movement. He headed a party cell at the
Baku University and participated in creation of the movement’s charter.

In 1991, after receiving of a diploma, he started to work as a teacher
at the Law department of Baku State University.

Simultaneously Kerimli was a correspondent of independent Azadliq
(Freedom) newspaper.

In January, 1992, he was elected to be the deputy of chairman of PFA
Supreme Council. In April, 1993, the head of PFA and the President
of Azerbaijan Abulfaz Elchibey (Azerbaijan’s first elected President
after the breakup of the Soviet Union) appointed Kerimli to the post
of the Secretary of State of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

After the coup d’etat on summer, 1993, as a result of which Heydar
Aliyev came to power in Azerbaijan, Kerimli submitted his resignation.

In 1995, PFA was transformed into Azerbaijan Popular Front Party
(APFP), an Elchibey remained to be its chairman. From 1995 till 2000
Ali Kerimli was the first assistant of Elchibey. At the parliamentary
elections of 1995, and then of 2000 he was elected a member of
parliament.

In 2000, after Elchibey’s death, APFP breaks up into “conservative”
and “reformist” wings. Ali Kerimli became the head of the “reformists”,
the skeleton of which was made of former activists of the Yurd.

Since 2003 he carried out activities on creation of the bloc of
opposition parties. In Spring, 2005, under Kerimli’s initiative
Azadliq bloc of three parties was created: APFP-reformists, Musavat
and Democratic party.

A Skilful Player

Despite being relatively young, Ali Kerimli has shown himself as the
most experienced and far-sighted politicians. After the APFP split
in 2000 he managed not only to strengthen positions of the reformist
wing, but transformed it into one of the major political forces of
the republic.

In autumn, 2000, during the pre-election campaign to Parliament Kerimli
managed to convince the ruling regime of his readiness to compromise,
and even cooperate with authorities. Despite falsification of the
results of voting, he, as against the leader of the conservative wing
of the divided Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Mirmahmud Fattaev, did
not turned away the parliamentary mandate. On the contrary, Kerimli
continued to show his readiness for a dialogue with the regime,
and due to this had an opportunity to get into the Parliament.

The President of the republic at that time Heydar Aliyev expected
to transform Kerimli and his supporters into decorative and obedient
opposition. However, appearing in parliament the leader of the APFP
reformist wing sharply changed his line of conduct. Henceforth he
was the most ardent and uncompromising critic of the ruling regime.

Pending for Elections

Before the parliamentary elections (November, 2005) Ali Kerimli more
than any other figure of opposition was exposed to the fierce attacks
of the regime. In December, 2004, Vice speaker of the Azerbaijan
parliament Ziyafet Askerov even recognized that from all the heads
of the opposition the secret police pays the greatest attention to
Ali Kerimli.

In August, 2005, his fellow-champion, the head of Yeni fikir (New
Thinking – the youth movement of the APFP) Ruslan Bashirli was
arrested. He was incriminated with preparation of revolt, ordered by
the Armenian special services. This event allowed the authorities
to accuse Kerimli of receiving funds from abroad, and a series of
repressive measures against APFP and block Azadliq were carried out.

The opposition claims that “Bashirli’s case” was forged by the
Azerbaijani secret police, which has an agent among his coterie.

One more action directed on discrediting Kerimli was announcing
through the mass media of his interview to the Armenian TV channel
Erkir Media TV. However almost at once, the representative of Armenian
TV, which informed that Kerimli refused to give an interview, denied
this information.

Almost simultaneously the Azerbaijani mass media hinted on Kerimli’s
“nonconventional” sexual orientation. Iskander Gamidov, the leader
of Azerbaijan’s National Democratic Party, allegedly spread the rumor.

However, he hastened to accuse authorities of rough falsification.

Currently, Ali Kerimli, together with Isa Gambar, is considered to
be the one of the main leaders of the Azerbaijani opposition. He
expects, that the Azadliq bloc headed by both of them will receive
in the forthcoming elections at least 75 from 125 seats in Parliament.

In parallel, Kerimli acts as the initiator of association of opposition
and transition from street meetings and demonstrations to political
forms of struggle for power.

Foreign Lobby

Ali Kerimli is a politician of pro-Western orientation. First of all
he is oriented on the USA and the Great Britain. During his visit
to Washington in July, 2004, Kerimli established close relations
with the representatives of administration of the President and the
Department of State. He is supported by the representatives of both
Republican, and Democratic parties (in particular, by Bill Clinton
and Madeleine Albright).

In November, 2004, Kerimli visited London where he had several meetings
with a number of leading politicians of the Great Britain.

>>From the beginning of 2005 Ali Kerimli visited many western
countries, in particular the USA, the Great Britain, Germany, Norway,
France, Sweden, and also Turkey. During his visit to Ankara in August
2005 he met with the leading politicians of the country.