Opposition Rally Participants Call for Boycott of Presidential Elections (UPDATED)

Baku / 03/31/18 / Turan: Opposition rally participants criticized the authorities for corruption, violation of human rights, economic and social problems, and the unsettled Karabakh conflict, and called on the people to boycott the presidential elections on April 11.

As the leader of the Popular Front Party Ali Kerimli said at the rally, the action was held on the day of the century of the genocide of Azerbaijanis of 1918, when the government of the Council of People's Commissars headed by Stepan Shaumyan and armed groups of the Armenian nationalist party Dashnaktsutyun committed killings of tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis in Baku and counties.

"The Armenian terror continues today. For 25 years Karabakh has been under occupation," Kerimli said.

He accused the authorities of inactivity for the return of the occupied territories, as well as the purchase of low-quality weapons from Russia. According to Kerimli, the authorities, while buying such weapons from Russia, actually pay them a duty for political patronage, closing their eyes to the fact that Moscow is an ally of Armenia.

Kerimli also accused the authorities of corruption, saying that Ilham Aliyev himself is at the head of the monopolies. He also drew attention to more than 160 political prisoners. According to Kerimli, Ilham Aliyev does not have the moral right to rule the country for 7 more years.

A member of the coordinating center of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), economist Vaheed Maharramli, said about the falsity of official statistics regarding "economic development and job opening". According to him, with the collapse in oil prices, the country's economy has subsided. While 3-4 years ago the GDP and the state budget of the country amounted to 75 billion and 25 billion dollars, now they are 40 and 10 billion dollars. He called for a boycott of the presidential elections.

The Musavat leader Arif Hajili accused the authorities of not being able to solve the Karabakh problem. According to him, the government is pursuing a wrong foreign policy, which is why the positions of Azerbaijan in the international arena are undermined.

In the opinion of Hajili, "Azerbaijan has become more famous" for scandals for withdrawing money to offshore companies." "Even Kim Cheng changed - he visited China and expressed his readiness to review the nuclear program. And the Azerbaijani authorities must change, otherwise we will change them," Hajili continued.

The head of the NCDF, Jamil Hasanli, called the extraordinary presidential elections a "farce". "Depriving the people of the right to vote is a grave crime. In the year of the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijani People's Republic, Ilham Aliyev wants to completely destroy the traditions of the republicanism," Hasanli said. However, democratic forces will continue to fight against this, he added. "Our struggle will continue until this regime is changed," Hasanli said.

According to the city police, 1,200 people took part in the rally. The organizers consider this data to be several times underestimated. -06D--

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2018 March 31 (Saturday) 15:01:27

Opposition Rally against Presidential Elections

Baku / 03/31/18 / Turan: At 15:00, an opposition rally against the early presidential elections began at the Mehsul stadium in the Yasamal district of the capital.

The rally organized by the National Council of Democratic Forces and the Musavat Party involves several thousand people.

The rally participants protest against electoral fraud, believing that there are no conditions for democratic elections in the country, and the government simply wants to once again consolidate the usurpation of power.

Reinforced police squads are located around the stadium.-02B-