Selective approach to political parties...

In December 2022, the Milli Majlis adopted the law "On Political Parties" in the third reading. Despite internal and external protests, President Ilham Aliyev approved the law in January 2023. Among the discontented Articles of the new law, a special place is occupied by the collection of 5 thousand members by parties and the registration of each of them.

So far, 27 political parties have submitted lists of their members to the Ministry of Justice for registration. In 2022, after the entry into force of the law "On Political Parties", more than 30 of the 59 political parties registered in Azerbaijan announced their self-dissolution. Of the 27 political parties that applied to the Ministry of Justice, only one - the ruling “Yeni Azerbaijan” party - was given the green light by the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice gave a negative answer to other parties and gave each of them a month to update the lists.

The head of the Institute of Civil Rights Bashir Suleymanli answers the questions of ASTNA in connection with what is happening.

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Question: Of the 27 political parties that submitted lists of party members to the Ministry, only the ruling “Yeni Azerbaijan” party  (YAP) was given the green light. Where does this trend lead?

Answer: This is an unchanging form of political approach that has been going on for years. As before, the proposals of the authorities were conducted at elections, referendums, legislative initiatives and other processes, accelerated, without discussion, verification. the same is being done now. During the election period, we have never encountered errors in the subscription lists of candidates of the ruling party, persons close to it and structures.

Registration of YAP with the Ministry of Justice without providing any information about the number of members is an integral part of these processes. It is not just about the party. There is a selective approach in the media, NGOs, even in economic relations. If you remember, pro-government media were registered in the register quickly, but the registration of independent media was delayed. This is an open message: for those who are with me, serving the interests of the authorities, there is a "green light" everywhere.

Question: What do they want to achieve by not including any of the other parties in the Ministry's register?

Answer: In my opinion, they are trying to find out the reaction here. Both the public and the political circles with which the parties are associated. Because although the government is trying to show how monolithic it is, it is no secret that there are political parties that serve the interests of individual groups. These parties are even represented in Parliament.

There is no guarantee that this will not cause any problems in the future. Therefore, in order to find out the reaction, testing was needed. The "problems" for the authorities are connected not only with the opposition. The main reason for concern is the parties associated with the oligarchy, they have sufficient financial power. The processes that have been taking place in the world in recent years show that the factor of material power is important. People believe more in real indicators than in promises focused on the future. They have become more pragmatic. However, there is also the opposite. For example, in Ukraine, in Armenia. However, for example, in Ukraine after Yushchenko, Yanukovych did not let him work. Despite the fact that Yushchenko came to power through democratic elections. But there is, for example, a variant of Ivanishvili in Georgia. The Georgian people, shortly after the advance brought by democracy, elected Ivanishvili, who had money.

The authorities are analyzing everything that happened in the past, geopolitical discord in the region. not wanting to face problems that may arise in the future.

Question: In general, what goal do they pursue? The one-month period allotted to the parties is coming to an end. What will happen now? Will Azerbaijan continue its path with one party if other parties fail to get into the register?

Answer: There will be no one-party system. I partially answered this in the previous question. The reaction will be studied and steps will be taken in accordance with it. The authorities want to negotiate with the parties and put them in a position dependent on themselves – if they did not want to, they would not have included you in the register. Just as other parties were not registered. This gesture demonstrates our respect for you. And you will appreciate this gesture - "behave yourself."

What will the parties that will not be included in the register do?! There is no freedom of assembly, other fundamental freedoms are limited. There will be protests on social media for a while. Even one or two unauthorized actions are possible. But, as always, the police will disperse them. People will be arrested. The problem of political prisoners is not solved without that. Well, there will not be 100 political prisoners, but 120.

I do not want to sow pessimism. But now the geopolitical situation in the region has strengthened the position of the authorities. In particular, the elimination of alternative political forces is perceived almost as the norm. An example is the arrest and poisoning of ex-President Saakashvili in Georgia. The President himself has repeatedly stressed in his speeches the persecution and arrests of the opposition in Armenia, condemned international organizations for their tolerant attitude to this.

Naturally, the "tolerant" attitude to the suppression of fundamental freedoms in our region is relevant for the present. As soon as the situation with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict becomes clearer, the situation will change. The political authorities are also preparing for the post-conflict period.

Question: It is noteworthy that along with the main opposition parties, the Ministry returned the lists of pro-government parties represented in parliament and in dialogue with the authorities. What is hidden under this?

Answer: The goal is that the parties associated with a certain oligarchy, separate groups, to be united under one roof. Those who will go to the unification will remain. Those parties that create even the slightest concern will not be registered. The exception here may be due to several opposition parties. But they will also be persuaded by talking about national interests, threats to our independence, geopolitical tensions in the region, Karabakh and the Zangezur corridor.

Question: You have probably also heard talk about a referendum, elections under the proportional system, followed by parliamentary elections. How many parties do you think the authorities intend to do all this with?

Answer: These conversations were put into circulation from the sidelines of political power. Again, it was important to know the reaction of society, to observe the mobility of international organizations. At the same time, it was necessary to analyze alternatives, approaches of other political parties, and the position of society in public discussions.

In parallel, having taken some technical steps, the authorities tried to study the pros and cons of post-preferential management. For example, the post of Special Representative of the President was created. Thanks to this position, introduced for the first time in Karabakh, the Executive Branch remains offside, and all socio-economic projects are carried out by the administration of this Special Representative Office.

It seems that in order to go to a referendum and then prepare for parliamentary elections, the authorities are trying to artificially reduce the number of political parties. I used to think they could save 20 batches. But now I see that work is underway so that there are even fewer parties left. Apparently, the situation has changed.

Question: The parties are not protesting, on the contrary, they are busy updating their lists. Was it supposed to be like this?

Answer: The parties were late with the protests. More precisely, the protests were too insignificant and toothless. The protest was supposed to take place during the adoption of the law. All local and international resources had to be involved, a unified position was presented. But that didn't happen.

At the moment, updating the list is just the latest cramps. No one states their position, does not say what steps will be taken in case of refusal of registration?! What will be the steps?! If I am not mistaken, only the REAL party has issued a statement on the rejection of Erkin Kadirli from parliament. However, I doubt it will cause a reaction. If the parliament is dissolved after the referendum, what will it change for the authorities?

Question: What do you suggest? What steps should be taken to ensure political pluralism in the country?

Answer: To do this, there must be an atmosphere of freedom, a legislative framework that meets international standards. The authorities must respect the fundamental freedoms of citizens, be tolerant of alternative ideas and criticism. Otherwise, we will be gradually isolated from the civilized world. With propaganda aimed at an internal audience, you won't get far. The world is rapidly globalizing. Online management covers the whole society. Traditions of people using social networks are being formed. Therefore, the authorities should be interested in forming a healthy society, and not in solving the problem through prohibitions. The authorities should strive for good governance, an independent court. Real projects to improve the welfare of citizens should be presented.

We must not forget that in the near future it is possible to sign a peace treaty and live together with the Armenian community. For this period, we must have sound governance, our state institutions must comply with international law. Otherwise, we will face new problems.