The Open Society Party (OSP), which was assumed to participate in the negotiations to establish new cooperation centre of the opposition parties boycotted the elections, stated that discussions on the centre exist on pages of newspapers. “We did not get any official appeal to join the negotiations on the establishment of new cooperation centre. There were definite unofficial discussions. There is not any concrete position on this matter,” Akif Shahbazov, the chairman of the OSP told Trend News on 1 September.
Accoridng to Shahbazov, the OSP is far from expressing negative opinion concerning the new centre. “The party supports joint activity of the opposition and is interested in discussions to prevent mistakes made by the opposition parties, and to fulfill upcoming tasks,” he said.
As to position of the OSP’s leader Rasul Guliyev on the new cooperation centre, Shahbazov said that he knew Guliyev’s concrete position on this matter. “The Union has not established yet. If we get any apply from the formed organization later, we can examine this appeal at the party,” the OSP’s chairman said.
According to Shahbazov, if any union of the opposition is established after the presidential elections, they will clarify their position in line with the political situation. /Trend/

Establishment of new cooperation centre of opposition was debated in the meeting of Musavat Party, held on September 1. The draft document on presidential elections was discussed in the assembly, Sulhaddin Akbar, the chairman of the Party’s Congress told the APA. According to Akbar, the document is under discussion and may be signed by weekend. /APA/

Chairman of Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) Akif Nagi sent a letter to President of Turkey Abdullah Gul and called on him not to visit Yerevan, KLO Press Service told APA.
He said Armenia occupied Azerbaijani lands and did not leave its territorial and false “genocide” claims against Turkey. “Armenia takes hostile position against Azerbaijan and Turkey and has no intentions to leave this enmity. In this case your efforts to repulse malice with goodness have no sense. Your intention to visit Armenia and to view football match have caused serious concern in Azerbaijan. By this action you abuse spirit of ten thousands of Azerbaijanis killed by Armenia. It is especially painful that you intend to do that on the Holy Ramadan days. We believe that you wouldn’t like to damage Azerbaijan-Turkey relationship, to cause protest actions in Azerbaijan and to gladden our enemies”, said Akif Nagi in his letter. /APA/

Head of the Observation Mission of OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), former Foreign Minister of Slovenia Boris Frlec has arrived in Baku. APA reports that seven more observers of the mission have arrived in Azerbaijan along with Frlec.
The members of the mission have started meetings with Azerbaijani officials, as well as Chairman of the Central Election Commission Mazahir Panahov to study the pre-election situation as from today.

Long-term observers will officially start activity as from September 7 and their number will reach 30 by the elections. The number of OSCE observers on the day of election will make up 460.
They will observe the process in all the regions of the republic. /APA/

Hafiz Hajiyev, Chairman of the Muasir Musavat party and a presidential contender, has submitted a signature list to the Central Election Commission (CEC), a source from the party reported to Trend News.
Candidates have to collect 40,000 signatures within 10 days in order to pass registration in CEC. CEC has officially registered the candidature of the incumbent President Ilham Aliyev. /Trend/

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan prepared notices to inform voters of the place and time of the voting during the presidential elections, a source at the CEC press service told TrendNews.
The presidential elections in Azerbaijan will be held on 15 October. Currently the CEC confirmed candidatures of 20 pretenders.
Of them, the CEC registered candidatures of pretenders from ruling New Azerbaijan Party, current President Ilham Aliyev, and chairman of opposition Umid Party, Igbal Agazade.
According to the information, the prepared 5mln notices will be provided to the district election commissions and further to the voters. /Trend/

The Central Election Commission has registered Umid Party’s Chairman Igbal Agazadeh as a candidate for the presidency of Azerbaijan on Saturday, AAP reports. The commission’s working group approved 40 777 signatures he submitted to CEC for his registration and rejected 3256 ones. Agazadeh’s nomination has been registered as it demands 40 000 signatures for this process.
CEC has also approved candidacy of self-nominated former Azerbaijani ambassador to Iran Aliyar Safarli and unemployed Mubariz Allahverdiyev. The commission members have discussed at the meeting on Saturday the number of final protocols and their preparations.
CEC has also approved the text of notification for the voters informing them about the voting time and place and made some changes in the composition of district election commissions.
/APA/

Voters, who will not be able to vote in the place of their permanent registration, will be granted deregistration cards by the constituency election commissions.
Mazahir Panahov, Chairman of the Central Election Commission, said the voters can take deregistration cards from 45 days before the elections.
He also requested the full-time students, who are not studying in the place of registration place, to take deregistration cards.
He also invited IDPs to take cards from the elections commissions.
/APA/

The discussions on changing of format of the Azerbaijani Opposition Parties Democratic Elections Centre (DEC) were postponed. “After consultations with the parties represented in the DEC we decided to hold a meeting next week,” Ahmad Oruj, Chairman of the Azadlig party, which is represented in the DEC, said to Trend News on 29 August.
DEC was established in January by nine opposition parties – the Classic Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (CPFPA), Azadlig, Azerbaijan National Democratic Party, Great Establishment Party, Popular Front Party of Unified Azerbaijan (PFPUA), Great Azerbaijan Party, Open Society Party, Takamul and the Greens Party. Chairmen of the PFPUA and the Greens Party – Gudrat Hasanguliyev and Mais Gulaliyev – nominated themselves for presidency. The remaining seven DEC parties refused to participate in the elections.
The issues regarding discharging from the Centre of the parties which decided to participate in the elections were expected to be clarified and the format of Centre’s further operation to be determined on 29 August.
According to Oruj, the parties which are represented in the DEC and are involved in presidential elections are experiencing a tensed period of signature collection campaign. “Once the campaign is over, DEC will meet to decide whether to change the format of the Centre or not,” he said.
Oruj said the DEC parties involved in the elections have no obligations to the Centre. “We were aware of their participation in the elections, so they did not break any obligation,” he said.
According to Oruj, it is too early to say whether the format of DEC will be changed or not. /Trend/

Azerbaijani independent political scientists consider that the opposition will fail to form a union. “Opposition is not able to leave their own ambitions aside and to come out from general front,” Rasim Musabayov, a political scientist, told Trend News.
According to the political scientist, opposition incapable to affect the results of the presidential elections. The process to form the union is going on slowly. Despite there remains 45 days to the presidential elections, no activity is observed within opposition. Opposition is weak and remains behind the election process.
“The opposition in Azerbaijan is a right wing. The right opposition is supported by farmers, business organizations and religious groups in most countries. However, the right opposition in Azerbaijan is supported neither by farmers, business organizations nor religious groups. Opposition steps aside of religious groups in order to escape of being called Islamists. Therefore, the right opposition is deprived of social basis and support. The left wing opposition faces the same problems,” Musabayov said.
Zardusht Alizade, a political scientist, considers the discussions to form an opposition union “useless talks”. “Opposition has missed the train,” Alizade said.
“Opposition’s task was to entrain the train. However, they missed the train. What the opposition can do now? If opposition failed to do anything before the elections period or on the threshold of elections, it is too late to hold discussions on the issue now. Opposition does not have resources, no money, no respect amongst population and no program,” Alizade said.
Speaking about the possible formation of the union opposition deceives its supporters.
Leyla Aliyeva, a political scientist, said that formation of opposition union may positively affect the social and political processes. It may create the second forces centre. “The problem is that the opposition has a weak social basis,” Aliyeva said.
/Trend/

The format of cooperation of opposition Four is still in force. “Next meeting of the Four will be organized by Eldar Namazov, head of For Azerbaijan public forum. At present Namazov is abroad. The next meeting of four will be held in 2 or 3 days after Namazov’s return,” Sardar Jalaloglu, chairman of Democratic Party of Azerbaijan said.
The oppositional Four includes Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, Musavat, National Independence Party and For Azerbaijan public forum.
Concerning participation of Musavat and For Azerbaijan public forum included in Four, Jalaloglu said the parties included in this format, do not have any obligations before each other. “The parties in Four are not responsible for their relations with each other. If any party wishes to join any group, it can do that. We are not concerned about it,” DPA chairman said.
/Trend/

Azerbaijan Central Election Commission (CEC) has received the photos of only 5 out of 18 presidential contenders. “Although we asked all contenders to bring their photos, most of them did not. So, the photo spaces of these contenders remain empty in the website of the Election Information Centre,” Spokesperson for CEC Azar Sariyev told Trend News on 30 August.
Sariyev said the photos of only five contenders have been placed in the website of the Election Information Centre in the Information about Candidates section – Chairman of the governing New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) Ilham Aliyev, chairman of the Great Establishment Party (GEP), MP Fazil Gazanfaroglu, chairman of the Umid Party Igbal Agazade, chairman of the Popular Front Party of Unified Azerbaijan Gudrat Hasanguliyev and a leading researcher of the Physics Institute of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Gudrat Isagov, who nominated his candidacy by himself.
Empty photo spaces are of unemployed Yashar Ahmadov, pensioner Alimukhtar Akbarov, nurse of the Sumgayit Central Clinical Hospital Sevinj Guliyeva, physician Vugar Seyidov, chairman of the Muasir Musavat Party (Modern Musavat) Hafiz Hajiyev, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party Fuad Aliyev, chairman of the Greens Party Mais Gulaliyev, advisor of the Madaniyyat (Culture) newspaper Teymur Guliyev, editor-in-chief of the Expertise newspaper Suleyman Guliyev, former chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Gulamhuseyn Alibayli, editor of the scientific and methodical magazine of the Azerbaijan Education Ministry Fikrat Ahadov, unemployed Arif Aliyev and Director of the Juridical, Economic and Social Research Centre Ali Agaevli. “We are not responsible for that. The candidates must submit their photos so that we could place them in the website,” Sariyev said.
/Trend/