ITV, Baku, in Azeri
23 Sep 05
AZERI ELECTION: PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES TRADE ACCUSATIONS OF
CORRUPTION
Aydin Quliyev, a parliamentary candidate from the opposition Azadliq
(Freedom) bloc, has accused the authorities of denying the opposition
access to TV channels.
In his election broadcast on Public TV on 23 September, Quliyev
blamed the Azerbaijani authorities for the lack of progress on the
Karabakh talks.
At the same time, Quliyev said Azerbaijan needs a “normal” parliament
to fight rampant corruption in the country. He urged people to
participate in the opposition rally scheduled for 25 September.
In turn, Sahlar Asgarov from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP)
said that Azerbaijan has become one of the world’s most powerful
states under President Ilham Aliyev. The Azerbaijani people should
say “no” to domestic and foreign enemies when they cast their votes
on 6 November, he said in his election broadcast on Public TV.
Asgarov stressed that Azerbaijan’s economy has grown significantly
under the NAP, pointing to projects worth billions of dollars like
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil export pipeline.
Meanwhile, Qaribbala Novruzov, a candidate from the opposition
Liberal Party of Azerbaijan, said in his election broadcast that
people are leaving the country’s southern districts to avoid poverty,
human rights violations, unemployment and the poor infrastructure.
The local authorities are indifferent to their problems, he said.
Touching on the problem of unemployment, Novruzov said that tourism
could help resolve it in the southern districts.
Yaqub Mammadov, former parliamentary speaker who is running for
parliament from the Yeni Siyasat (New Policy) election bloc, said
although Azerbaijan has seen some progress during its independence,
the country is still facing serious problems like poverty,
unemployment and corruption.
Mammadov said the most serious problem currently facing Azerbaijan is
that the Azerbaijani people is divided into several groups. The
country can cope with its manifold problems only when it is united,
he said.
In turn, non-partisan candidate Mikail Rahimov pointed to Nagornyy
Karabakh as Azerbaijan’s most serious problem. Azerbaijan should
develop a professional army to liberate its territories from Armenian
occupation, he said during his television appearance.
Another non-partisan candidate, Azar Amiraslanov, said he will push
for new and better laws required for Azerbaijan’s growing economy if
he is elected to the parliament.
At the same time, in his election broadcast, a candidate from the
ruling New Azerbaijan Party, Musa Musayev, accused opposition leaders
Isa Qambar and Ali Karimli of selling oil to Armenia in 1992-93. The
Azerbaijani people experienced hard times under their rule, he said.