NCDF: Azerbaijani authorities want to establish a one-party system

Baku/28.08.23/Turan: On August 28, the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) of Azerbaijan issued a statement "on the preparation of the authorities for the official ban on the activities of opposition parties."

During the 20 years of his power, Ilham Aliyev pursued a policy of eliminating the opposition, which he continues to this day. The reactionary Law on political Parties and amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences prepared and adopted on his instructions are yet another attempt to eliminate the real opposition, the statement said.

The new law on political parties creates a legal mechanism to eliminate opposition parties with a principled position.

Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses provide for 17 types of punishments against members and leaders of parties deprived of state registration. The amount of fines at the same time reaches from 700 manats to 15 thousand manats, the notification notes.

The National Council pays special attention to the fact that in recent years the Popular Front party, distinguished by its "mass character" and "principled position", has become a "target of the authorities".

For several years, about 50 members of the PFPA were arrested on criminal charges, and another 200 were arrested administratively. The head of the PFPA has been banned from traveling abroad. The Internet has been turned off at his house for three years now.

The new law on parties and new amendments to the Administrative Code actually prohibit and criminalize opposition political activities, because activities without registration will become illegal. In practice, this means the elimination of the "multiparty political system" and the legal formalization of the actual monarchy.

These steps are directed not only against the real opposition, but against society as a whole, because it deprives the population of the right to change power in a peaceful way.

"The people, civil society activists should raise their voice of protest against these steps of the government," the statement said.

"We hope that the international community will disappoint Ilham Aliyev and give a principled assessment of the attempts to create a one-party system in Azerbaijan," the statement concluded. ---06B---