SEPARATIST REGIME IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH PREVENTS ARMENIANS TO TAKE PART IN AZERBAIJANI ELECTIONS: CEC SECRETARY

Trend News Agency
Feb 5 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 February / corr. Trend S. Ilhamgizi/ The current
regime in the occupied Azerbaijani lands does not allow the Armenians
living there to take part in the elections to be held in Azerbaijan.

Natig Mammadov, the secretary of the Central Election Commission
(CEC) of Azerbaijan said on 4 February.

The regular presidential elections will bed held in Azerbaijan on
October 2008. The process of the determining of the electoral rolls in
Azerbaijan began on 1 January and will last till 30 May. The names of
internally displaced people from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan
are also being determined and their names are included in the unified
roll of electors. According to Mammadov, the Azerbaijani citizens of
Armenia origin living in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh also wish to
take part in the elections and appeals are made to CEC in this regard.

"The same cases occurred in the previous elections, they (Armenians
of Nagorno-Karabakh) appealed to us by mail, electronic mail, and by
the telephone that they want to exercise their right to vote.

Unfortunately, due to the separatist regime the Azerbaijani citizens
of Armenian origin are deprived of their rights to vote," the CEC
secretary said.

The constituencies are set up in the occupied territories including
Karabakh (Kankendi) where votes are held during the elections.

Armenia has occupied 20% of the territories of Azerbaijan,
Nagono-Karabakh and 7 surrounding regions. The territory is out of
the control of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani residents living in the
occupied land were internally displaced.