Opposition Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP) set a new term to join the coalition of the parties boycotting presidential elections.
“Should Musavat party call back its MPs from the Parliament, we will reconsider our position regarding joining the opposition coalition,” ADP Chairman Sardar Jalaloglu said to Trend News on 19 September.
ADP refused to join the document. According to the head of the Musavat's Central executive administration Arif Hajili, should ADP join the coalition, it will be possible to create a new opposition bloc.
Musavat is represented at the Parliament by 4 MPs.
Jalaloglu said the term of the Musavat, which it had posed before, must be taken as refusal to cooperate. “Such unions are important both to us and the opposite side,” said Jalaloglu. /Trend/

Election platform of chairman of United Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, presidential candidate Gudrat Hasanguliyev has been made public today. 129-point election platform covers state-building, Nagorno Karabakh problem and military build-up, science, education, culture, health, civil society, freedom of religion and conscience, economy and social policy, ecology, local management bodies, international relations and foreign policy.

The full text of Gudrat Hasanguliyev’s election platform is available on www.hasanguliyev.az.

Promotion materials of the chairman of United Azerbaijan Popular Front Party are also released as from today. /APA/

Pre-Election Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) led by Andres Herkel issued a statement on the results of its mission to Azerbaijan.
Members of the Delegation said at the press conference on Thursday that they have noted improvements in the country that should create conditions for democratic and fair elections, APA reports. Those improvements took account of a number of recommendations made by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, but not all of them were fully addressed, said in the statement. “It nevertheless admitted that some key issues such as equitable representation in electoral commissions or fairness in conducting the campaign, are more the matter of electoral practice than that of the letter of the law. It is heartened by the assurances it received from top Azerbaijani representatives that their goal is to have an orderly and well administered election that will comply with European standards”.
Being concerned about a presumed public disinterest, the Delegation firmly wished that the electorate will have an increasing interest in the campaign. Though with seven presidential candidates registered, a plurality of choices and competitiveness are to be expected, the decision by the five opposition parties not to participate in the vote was most unfortunate, said the Delegation.
“”Even if a political party and its leaders fail to see clear prospects of getting voted into power or they feel that their democratic rights are being limited or even violated, they should nonetheless participate in the electoral race in the interests of their followers. In this connection, the Delegation urges all sides of the political spectrum, including those not participating in the elections, to act responsibly and engage in a meaningful dialogue with each other. All political forces, whatever their differences, should go beyond mutual recriminations, addressing instead the issues of substance in a constructive interplay”.

Mr. Andres Herkel (head of Delegation, Estonia, Group of the European People’s party), Mr. Indrek Saar (Estonia, Socialist Group), Mr. Mevlut Chavushoglu (Turkey, European Democrat Group), Mr. Paul Wille (Belgium, Alliance of liberals and democrats for Europe), Mr. Hakki Keskin (Germany, Group of the Unified European Left) were involved in the mission.

A full 30-member PACE observer delegation will arrive in Azerbaijan in October to observe the actual voting. /APA/

A press group established near Central Election Commission (CEC) reviewed complaint submitted by Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) Ali Ahmadov against the presidential candidate Igbal Agazadeh, APA reports.
Head of the press group Azer Tagiyev said chairman of Umid Party Igbal Agazadeh’s campaign CDs were spread in the regions before the start of campaign on September 17.
CEC member considered it as a violation of law and suggested to watch a part of videotapes on CD. Igbal Agazadeh’s representative Anvar Agazadeh said that there were no any tapes campaigning for the Agazadeh’s candidacy. He said these CDs were spread among the party members in 2007 during the party’s campaign. “We stopped spread of CDs in May and we have not spread any disks since start of election campaign”.
Member of the group Almas Gahramanli said there were no campaign signs in the disks and it agitated only Agazadeh’s lawmaking activity. Tagiyev proposed to make formal notice to Agazadeh, but some of the group members voted against this proposal. Therefore Ahmadov’s complaint will be reviewed at the CEC next meeting.
CEC rejected Azerbaijan Internews Public Union’s appeal for joining the Mediaforum website to the presidential election campaign arguing that Internews is financed from abroad. /APA/

European Court began to examine appeals from Azerbaijan regarding 2005 parliamentary elections. European Court on Human Rights has sent an inquiry to the Azerbaijani government on the appeal of Sardar Jalaloglu, head of Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (DPA), Fuad Agayev, lawyer of Jalaloglu said to TrendNews.
As Jalaloglu was the only candidate election district 9 of Binagadi district of Baku from opposition Azadlig bloc in 2005 parliamentary elections, he won with overwhelming majority. His victory in the parliamentary election was indicated by election protocols and media as well. Central Election Commission canceled results of the vote in election district 9 of Binagadi district of Baku as an illegal, lawyer said.
Though DPA chairman appealed respective courts in Azerbaijan, his appeal was rejected. This compelled him to appeal European Court. Over 30 appeals have been made to European Court against 2005 parliament elections. /Trend/

The opposition Democratic party of Azerbaijan (DPA) believes that party’s position to establish a new bloc coincides with the Musavat party’s position.
“Party will start discussions to establish the bloc soon,” Sardar Jalaloglu, Chairman of DPA, told Trend News.
Jalaloglu proposed to establish the bloc with regard to the parliamentary elections 2010.
DPA will not participate in the elections and rejected to join the cooperation centre, which was established by five opposition parties.
In early September three opposition parties Musavat and Public Forum For the name of Azerbaijan signed a joint statement which recognizes the presidential elections illegitimate. The authorities, which will be formed after the elections, is announced illegitimate.
“I will seek long standing strategy for a new bloc immediately after the presidential elections,” said Jalaloglu.
Arif Hajili, Chairman of the Central Election Department of the Musavat party, told Trend News that the party support integration into democratic forces. “The political positions must coincide in order to be united in the bloc with DPA. There are different opinions in the position of Democrats and Musavat members. We can unite with DPA within the one bloc, if certain changes are take place in party’s position,” added Hajiyev. /Trend/

Under the Election Code of Azerbaijan, all the necessary conditions to observe the presidential elections on 15 October will be created in military units of the country. This was said by Eldar Sabiroglu, Head of the press-service of Azerbaijani Defence Ministry in the news-conference.
Watchdogs from the OSCE, Council of Europe and CIS will observe the elections.
Sabiroglu said that the Central Election Commission (CEC) would take a decision to specify the places for servicemen to vote. /Trend/

The Azerbaijani opposition presidential candidature will campaign in regions.
“Firstly, we plan to hold mass actions in Sumgayit,” Fazil Gazanfaroglu, a presidential candidature and the chairman of the Great Establishment Party (GEP), told Trend News on 18 September.
Primary attention will be drawn to regions, where mass actions are to be held during the pre-elections campaign, Gazanfaroglu said. The ruling New Azerbaijan Party continued a previous tradition, beginning propaganda demonstrations in the capital city. /Trend/

OSCE observers group attended the regional offices of the Association for Civil Society Development in Azerbaijan (ACSDA) located in Saatli and Jalilabad regions.
In both offices the local coordinators of ACSDA informed the OSCE observers of ACSDA’s measures related to the forthcoming presidential elections and preparation works realized by ACSDA for exit poll and quick count researches. In the end, the quests took memory photographs with ACSDA’s regional representatives.

The members of the Association for Civil Society Development in Azerbaijan (ACSDA) continue meetings with international organizations. On September 18, Vali Alibayov, the vice president of ACSDA met with Jan Woodward, the program chief on the monitoring of elections and Minaya Safarova, the program assistant in Baku Office of US National Democracy Institute.
Besides, Jamal Shahverdiyev, the executive director of Eurasia Cooperation Fund received Maharram Zulfugarli, the head of the ACSDA Election Headquarters.
During both of the meetings, the representatives of the international organizations got information about ACSDA’s activity in all regions of Azerbaijan related to the forthcoming presidential elections. The participants were also informed of preparation works realized by ACSDA related to observation of elections, exit poll and quick count researches.

New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) held its first agitation meeting within the presidential election campaign. The meeting took place at the Bibiheybat Stadium in Sabayel District’s 20th area, APA reports. YAP deputy chairman and executive secretary Ali Ahmadov said at the meeting that they started the party’s presidential candidate Ilham Aliyev’s agitation campaign.
Ahmadov said the campaign which started successfully would finish successfully. He said it related with the people’s confidence in Ilham Aliyev and Ilham Aliyev’s confidence in the people. Ahmadov said “this square was suggested to opposition once, but they didn’t like it and now they remained without the square”. Head of the President’s Executive Office Ramiz Mehdiyev also joined the meeting.
The meeting was followed by the concert program. /APA/

Jake Johns, the director of the US International Republicans Institute (IRI) on Azerbaijan met with Sardar Jalaloglu, the chairman of Azerbaijan Democrat Party (ADP), ADP press service told the APA. The parties exchanged views on socio-political situation in Azerbaijan and political processes in the region. IRI official stated that the organization intends to continue mutual cooperation with ADP. ADP chairman, in his turn, talked about the party’s preparation for municipal and parliamentary elections and future plans. /APA/