Norwegian Foreign Ministry will study the pre-election political situation in Azerbaijan. Norway’s Deputy FM Raymond Johansen will visit Azerbaijan for this purpose at the beginning of October. The visit will be paid on 1-2 October within the Johansen’s tour to South Caucasus, Norwegian Embassy in Azerbaijan said to Trend News on 27 September.
Johansen will meet at the Foreign Ministry with leaders of Azerbaijani political parties, NGO representatives. He is expected to meet with Ambassadors of European countries in Azerbaijan. /Trend/

Women in Azerbaijan will support current President Ilham Aliyev in the upcoming presidential elections, Hijran Huseynova, chairman of State Committee for Problems of Family, Woman and Children, said in the third conference of Azerbaijani women on 26 September.
The presidential elections in Azerbaijan will be held on 15 October.
Women in Azerbaijan support providing public and social security, rapid development of economy and solution of social problems, she said.
“The Azerbaijani women will support political line targeted at strengthening international authority of Azerbaijan in the presidential elections,” she said.
Women voters, who make up more than half all voters, will be active in election day, Huseynova said. /Trend/

Invisible ink, transparent ballot boxes and ultra-violet detectors (lamps), which will be used in the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, were brought to Azerbaijan from Denmark.
“We have begun to distribute elections tools to the District and Station election commissions,” Rovzat Gasimov, the head of the International Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Central Elections Commission (CEC), told Trend News on 26 September.
More than 5,000 election stations function in Azerbaijan. One mobile and non-mobile transparent ballot boxes are put to each station.
One, two and three invisible ink bottles will be distributed to each station depending on voters’ number, Gasimov said.
Transparent ballot boxes and ultra-violet detectors were brought to Azerbaijan in the parliamentary elections in 2005, he said: “Boxes and detectors, which were brought in 2008, are additional ones.” /Trend/

Fazil Gazanfaroglu, the Azerbaijani presidential candidate and the chairman of the Great Establishment Party (GEP), will hold a meeting with voters in Ganja (365km west of Baku) on 28 September under the propaganda campaign, Ruslan Gardashov, the head of the Ganja City Administration’s Department for Public Organizations and Political Parties, told Trend News on 26 September.
The place for Gazanfaroglu’s meeting in Ganja has been determined, Gardashov said. The presidential candidate will hold a meeting at the closed area in the Fuzuli Park of Ganja. Security measures have been done for his campaigning in the city.
Generally, 80 places, including 42 indoor and 38 outdoor places, have been authorized for candidates to hold meetings in Ganja, he said. /Trend/

The Azerbaijani Central Elections Commission (CEC) registered lawyers of two presidential candidates at a meeting on 26 September.
A total of 40 lawyers of Hafiz Hajiyev, the presidential candidate of the opposition Muasir Musavat Party and 30 lawyers of Fuad Aliyev, the presidential candidate of the Azerbaijani Liberal Democratic Party, were registered.
So far, the elections commissions have registered 25,023 observers to follow the presidential elections and 15,087 people from political parties, 7,726 representatives of Non-Government Organizations, as well as 2,310 observers will monitor the presidential elections at their own initiatives, Mazahir Panahov, the CEC chairman said.
Registration of observers will finish 10 days before the elections day at the CEC and 5 days before at elections commissions. /Trend/

The Azerbaijani Elections 2008 Non-Government Organization (NGO) Coalition will follow the presidential elections with 1,500 observers. Observers will hold supervision at 60 constituencies, the coalition told Trend News on 26 September.
Constituencies, where the coalition will hold observation, will cover six Azerbaijani regions, including Garabag, Aran, Ganjabasar, North, South and Baku.
The coalition will publicize their primary opinion concerning the presidential elections on 16 October.
Members of the Elections 2008 NGO Coalition visited Barda, Goranboy, Ganja, Tovuz and Gazakh Regions to get familiarization with the pre-elections situation. The coalition members acquainted with voters’ lists at the polling stations. They revealed problems with specifying of voters’ lists at stations near to refugee camps. /Trend/

Members of the CIS observation mission met with Fuad Aliyev, the presidential candidate of Azerbaijan Liberal- Democrat Party and his attorney, Mission’s PS told the APA. During the meeting the sides discussed the overall preparations for presidential elections of presidential candidate Fuad Aliyev.
Meanwhile, the observers also met with Hafiz Hajiyev, the presidential candidate of Modern Musavat Party and his attorney. The CIS mission plans to visit Shamakhi, Ismayilli, Gabala and Shaki regions on September 27. /APA/

Presidential candidate, chairman of United Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Gudrat Hasanguliyev met with the voters in Goychay. APA’s local bureau reports that chief of the party’s region organization, the candidate’s lawyer Bakhtiyar Zeynalov made a keynote speech at the meeting and gave information Gudrat Hasanguliyev’s political conception and election platform. Gudrat Hasanguliyev spoke about social-economic problems in Azerbaijani regions, as well as in Goychay and showed ways of their solution. The presidential candidate shares his views on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, work to be done in the spheres of education, health and agriculture.
Chairman of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party said not enough conditions had been created for the candidates in the regions.
Gudrat Hasanguliyev answered the voters’ questions. The voters presented their letters of complaint to the presidential candidate. /APA/

Central Election Commission (CEC) appealed to presidential candidate, chairman of Azerbaijan Liberal Democrat Party Fuad Aliyev, spokesman for CEC Azer Sariyev said, APA reports. He said that Fuad Aliyev had not shown requisites in the promotion photos. Azer Sariyev said it contradicted the law, and added that Fuad Aliyev’s party is replacing his photos by new ones with requisites on them. Azer Sariyev said the presidential candidates presented copies of all the promotion materials. He said six out of seven candidates had already presented the materials to the CEC. Only Gulamhuseyn Alibayli has not published any promotion materials yet. /APA/

Media Group under CEC has considered appeals of Umid Party in today‘s meeting, APA reports.
Azer Tagiyev, Head of Media Group told that Umid Party had appealed that Aydin Mirzazadeh, member with advisory voice campaigned via Public Radio against instructions of the body.
Member of the body Fuad Javadov noted that Mirzazadeh was member with advisory voice and a lawyer of Ilham Aliyev, candidate from YAP. On the other hand, Electoral Code does not ban a member with advisory voice to carry on agitation.
“Decisive members with advisory voice are banned to make propaganda,” he said. Member of group Almas Gahramanova stated that there was no need for member with advisory voice to campaign, because candidate had 50 lawyers. Plenipotentiary representative of presidential candidate of Umid Party Masimi Mammadli said that the step would cause to a precedent and other members with advisory voice would join propagating campaign during next levels. The meeting also covered an appeal of Umid Party on Modern Musavat Party. The appeal says that Faig Bakhshaliyev, a member with advisory voice introduced himself to Public Television as plenipotentiary representative and made a speech. Bakhshaliyev addressing the meeting stated that it was an untrue report.
“I have presented my card on member with advisory voice in Public Television”, he said. Both of appeals of Umid Party were groundless. Members of Media Group Almas Gahramanli and Mahabbat Orujov stated that candidate of Modern Musavat Party Hafiz Hajiyev sounded insults via Television. Tagiyev asked leadership of Public Television to present speeches of Hajiyev. Next meeting will consider and assess speeches of Hajiyev. /APA/

“Some presidential candidates use offensive words during their speeches on TV, violating 88th article of the Electoral Code. Despite that the presenter has no right to interfere, he warned the candidates for many times not to allow such cases”, Director General of the Public Broadcasting Company Ismayil Omarov told APA. He said he believed such cases wouldn’t be allowed further. He said according to law, Public Television was not responsible for the ideas voiced on live air.
Speaking about the dissatisfaction with the air time of debates, Omarov said the time was determined by the Central Election Commission in the presence of representatives of the candidates. “We stated that we were ready to assign any duration of air time, but decision was made by CEC in their presence and no one can violate this collegial decision. The audience knows that space from 18.50 to 19.50 is a time of discussions on Public Television”.
The Director General said that “they were ready to cover all events of the forces boycotting the elections, but assignment of special air time for the boycott would be violation of rights of 7 presidential candidates”. /APA/

“Free, Transparent and Just Elections” Coalition announced results of monitoring carried out during election campaign. Press Service of Coalition told APA.
According to the results of monitoring from September 7 to 24, there were few materials on elections in media. It was linked with fact that presidential candidates are not interested in publishing of materials. According to monitoring carried out in six daily newspapers, total, 141 materials have been published during above-mentioned period. Newspapers, publishing in Russian prefer analytical materials, but Azerbaijani newspapers prefer to spread information, irrespective of their importance. 74 of articles on election were related to candidates. There were 29 articles on Ilham Aliyev, 18 articles on Igbal Agazadeh, 12 articles on Gudrat Hasanguliyev, 7 articles on Gulamhuseyin Alibayli, 5 articles on Hafiz Hajiyev, 2 articles on Fazil Gazanfaroglu, 1 article on Fuad Aliyev. A part of articles were for candidates, but other parts were against of them. The report of coalition says that though a part of election campaign left behind, there is not broad promotion of candidates. /APA/