Ilgar Mammadov: Baku Needs Special Status

Baku / 10.31.18 / Turan: Baku needs a special status, and the mayor of the city must be elected, the leader of the Republican Alternative Party (REAL), Ilgar Mammadov, said.

For this reason, the party is preparing a package of legislative proposals, including, inter alia, the creation of a single city municipality and the establishment of the post of mayor of Baku. To this end, it is supposed to adopt a special constitutional law, Mammadov said in an interview with the Azerbaijani service of the Voice of America.

In connection with the establishment of the post of mayor, amendments will also be prepared to the Electoral Code and the law "On the status of municipalities".

The party discusses what the form of election of the mayor should be - one or two-step. It is expected to complete the work and submit the text of the bill to the public within 10 days, Mammadov said.

Is it possible to hold democratic elections for the municipal assembly and the mayor, while the OSCE / ODIHR declares that all previous elections in Azerbaijan do not comply with international standards? Does it make sense to participate in elections, without changing the conditions for their conduct?

Responding to these questions, Mammadov said that if the OSCE / ODIHR sends 500-600 observers and spends millions of dollars to support their activities, then does this have logic? It lies in the fact that no matter how bad the laws are, the possibilities for free and democratic elections are limited, and with good will, elections can be held.

"Of course, the REAL party does not believe in the goodwill of the Azerbaijani government. But at the same time, if we initially boycott the elections, such logic does not fit into the framework of politics," Mammadov said.

If the OSCE / ODIHR sends observers, then REAL will take part in the elections, and if there is no observation, then REAL will refuse to participate.

As for participation in the upcoming municipal elections, this issue depends on a number of political factors. One of them is related to whether an ODIHR observation mission will be sent. However, much will depend on whether the special status of Baku is determined with the city municipality and the elected mayor or not.

If there are elections of the mayor, then the probability of participation in the elections is high, Mammadov said.

REAL also initiated the preparation of a bill on the payment of compensation to citizens as a result of the devaluation of the manat. According to Mammadov, this issue affects more than 700 thousand citizens who have debts to banks. The total amount of these debts is estimated at 2 billion dollars.

Of course, it is impossible to immediately throw such an amount into the economy, so it is proposed to return interest on loans at the old rate.

On the other hand, the banks are also the injured party and the above 2 billion must be paid on schedule.

Therefore, the damage to the population should be compensated, as people became victims of false statements and promises of the country's leadership and the Central Bank.

"Our initiative is to save people from punishment, which they did not deserve," said Mamedov. In order to achieve the submission of bills to the discussion of the parliament, REAL intends to collect 40 thousand signatures of voters, as required by law. -03B06--