Eight Candidates Selected for Early Presidential Elections

Baku / 17.03.18 / Turan: On December 11, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan registered Sardar Mammadov (Jalaloglu) as a presidential candidate for the early presidential elections on April 11. At the same time, the head of the Citizens and Development Party Ali Aliyev and the head of the White Party Tural Abbasli were refused registration. Thus, the process of registration of candidates has come to the end and the struggle for the presidency will be led by eight candidates.

Abbasli and Aliyev do not have detailed information on the reasons for refusal of registration, but both consider these decisions biased.

"Our documents were in order. We submitted 42,900 signatures (40,000 for registration, the signatures were collected from the territory of 69 constituencies, although by law it was enough to collect them from 60 districts," Abbasli told Turan.

He believes that the reasons for the refusal are not technical, but political.

"Of course, the authorities did not fear us. But we are a new political force, and therefore the authorities simply did not dare to give us airtime for agitation, to give us such weight," Abbasli added.

In his view, the authorities do not want new forces or persons to appear on the political scene, and they are satisfied with the existing alignment, including the current opposition.

In turn, Aliyev told Turan that he was not surprised by the CEC decision. He recalled that in 2013 he was also prevented from the presidential elections.

"In the 2005, 2010 and 2015 parliamentary elections, my results were also not recognized. Apparently I do not fit the tastes of those who manage this process. I am too independent political figure. I do not get finance not from power, nor from other sources. I was not allowed to the voting because I am very different from the leaders of the decorative parties, who were registered, and those who are funded from other sources," Aliyev said.

He noted that he would appeal to courts against the decision of the CEC.

The registered presidential candidates are President Ilham Aliyev, non-party member of the parliament Zahid Oruj, leader of the Social Democratic Party Araz Alizadeh, head of the United Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Gudrat Hasanguliyev, representative of the National Revival Movement Party Faradj Guliyev, candidate from the Modern Musavat Party Hafiz Hajiyev, representative of the People's Front initiative group Razi Nurullayev (no relation to the Popular Front Party).

The leading opposition parties boycott the elections. -----06B--