AZERI OPPOSITION SAYS PRESIDENT HAS "NO MORAL RIGHT" TO RUN FOR THIRD TERM
Turan news agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 22 2013
"I call on Ilham Aliyev to withdraw his candidacy [for the October
presidential election]. First, his nomination for a third term is
illegitimate. Second, during his two presidential terms, Aliyev did
not resolve any problem facing the country and has no moral right
to run for a third term. Therefore, it would be would be better
for him to withdraw from the race," Isa Qambar, leader of the major
opposition Musavat party, was quoted as saying at the opposition's
campaign rally in Baku on 22 September.
The presidential candidate of the opposition alliance National Council
of Democratic Forces, Camil Hasanli, urged Aliyev to participate
in TV debates of presidential candidates in person rather than by
sending his proxies.
"Let him answer questions that were mentioned here. Let him say why
has not he liberated even 20 cm of the occupied lands [reference to
Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagornyy Karabakh] during the past 20 years,"
Hasanli was quoted as saying at the rally. "The authoritarian regime
has set up a criminal pyramid which is ruling the country. But they do
not want to stop. They want the pyramid to rule over our children too.
We should not allow this to happen," Hasanli added.
The rally participants adopted a resolution, demanding that all
"political prisoners" be set free, a free and fair election be held,
conditions be created for all presidential candidates to meet their
voters and that Ilham Aliyev stop using administrative resources in
his election campaign.
In the meantime, the deputy executive secretary of the ruling New
Azerbaijan Party, Mubariz Qurbanli, described the remarks made at
the opposition rally as "political demagogy".
"Things they said at the rally are political demagogy. They neither
spoke about preparations for the election nor about their candidate's
platform," Media Forum news website quoted Qurbanli as saying.
Meanwhile, the Baku City Main Police Department said on 23 September
that 2,000 people attended the opposition rally, whereas the
pro-opposition Turan news agency put the rally turnout at 10,000.
[Translated from Azeri]
From: A. Papazian
Turan news agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 22 2013
"I call on Ilham Aliyev to withdraw his candidacy [for the October
presidential election]. First, his nomination for a third term is
illegitimate. Second, during his two presidential terms, Aliyev did
not resolve any problem facing the country and has no moral right
to run for a third term. Therefore, it would be would be better
for him to withdraw from the race," Isa Qambar, leader of the major
opposition Musavat party, was quoted as saying at the opposition's
campaign rally in Baku on 22 September.
The presidential candidate of the opposition alliance National Council
of Democratic Forces, Camil Hasanli, urged Aliyev to participate
in TV debates of presidential candidates in person rather than by
sending his proxies.
"Let him answer questions that were mentioned here. Let him say why
has not he liberated even 20 cm of the occupied lands [reference to
Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagornyy Karabakh] during the past 20 years,"
Hasanli was quoted as saying at the rally. "The authoritarian regime
has set up a criminal pyramid which is ruling the country. But they do
not want to stop. They want the pyramid to rule over our children too.
We should not allow this to happen," Hasanli added.
The rally participants adopted a resolution, demanding that all
"political prisoners" be set free, a free and fair election be held,
conditions be created for all presidential candidates to meet their
voters and that Ilham Aliyev stop using administrative resources in
his election campaign.
In the meantime, the deputy executive secretary of the ruling New
Azerbaijan Party, Mubariz Qurbanli, described the remarks made at
the opposition rally as "political demagogy".
"Things they said at the rally are political demagogy. They neither
spoke about preparations for the election nor about their candidate's
platform," Media Forum news website quoted Qurbanli as saying.
Meanwhile, the Baku City Main Police Department said on 23 September
that 2,000 people attended the opposition rally, whereas the
pro-opposition Turan news agency put the rally turnout at 10,000.
[Translated from Azeri]
From: A. Papazian