22 media outlets have applied to Central Election Commission (CEC) to provide paid service in election campaign up to now, press service of Central Election Commission told APA. 17 of them are newspapers. APA information agency and lent.az web portal have officially applied to the commission, ANS and ITV channels and radio Antenn have sent letters to CEC to provide paid service in election campaign. /APA/

Head of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s election evaluation mission Andres Herkel, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan to watch October 15 presidential elections, held separate meetings with the candidates, nominee for the presidency Gulamhuseyn Alibeyli told APA. They discussed at the meetings opinions of the candidates on the pre-election situation, election conditions and evaluation of passed phases and other issues. Herkel met with each candidate – BAXCP chairman Gudrat Hasanguliyev, ALDP chairman Fuad Aliyev, and MMP chairman Hafiz Hajiyev and discussed with them the same issues.
Then Andreas Herkel met with the leaders of the parties included in Azadlig bloc the (the Popular Front Party, the Liberal Party and the Citizen and Development), the Musavat Party and the Public Forum ‘For Azerbaijan’. The meeting mainly focused on the socio-political situation in Azerbaijan and forthcoming presidential elections, Eldar Namazov, the president of the Public Forum ‘For Azerbaijan’ told. Andreas Herkel interested in why the opposition parties don’t participate in the presidential elections.
The next meeting of Andres Herkel realized on Wednesday with human rights defenders Leila Yunus and Eldar Zeynalov and discussed with them upcoming presidential elections. Andres Herkel has discussed the same topic with the head of the Election Monitoring Center Anar Mammadli. /APA/

CIS parliamentary Assembly began to organize an observation group on the proposal of Azerbaijani parliament to observe the preparation and voting process of the presidential election in Azerbaijan. Press service of the Azerbaijani parliament told APA the group would join the CIS observation mission organized by the CIS Executive Committee. According to the decision by the council chairman of CIS PA Sergei Mironov, deputy chairman of the Russian Council of Federation Svetlana Orlova was appointed a coordinator of the CIS PA observation group.
CIS Parliamentary Assembly established an expert group on the basis of CIS PA International Monitoring Institute for the development of democracy, parliamentary system and citizens’ right to vote in its headquarters in St. Petersburg on August 1, 2008 to analyze conformity of the legislative basis of presidential elections in Azerbaijan with the international standards, activity of the election bodies, preparations for the elections.
Baku Office of the CIS PA International Monitoring Institute for the development of democracy, parliamentary system and citizens’ right to vote will support them in long-term observation mission. 6 independent experts began their activity in Gandja, Lankaran and Guba to provide the CIS PA group with the information.
The CIS PA International Monitoring Institute’s director Galdyev told Baku Office that the group would be ready later September. /APA/

Executive Secretary of the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) Ali Ahmadov informed the Central Election Commission (CEC) about the violation of Electoral Code by the chairman of Umid Party and presidential candidate Igbal Agazadeh. YAP first deputy executive secretary Mubariz Gurbanli told APA Agazadeh started to spread CD-materials of agitation character from September 10. “It is violation of law. Therefore YAP asks CEC to evaluate the issue”. Gurbanli said they didn’t ask CEC to eliminate Agazadeh’s candidacy.
Agazadeh said the issue had no political character. “I will give large comment after the CEC decision. If any serious problem creates we will take measure on the basis of decision by the party’s authoritative bodies”, he said. /APA/

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/

Exit poll will be held in the presidential elections, chairman of Central Election Commission (CEC) Mazahir Panahov told APA. Panahov said CEC had already received appeals in connection with this and added only local organizations had appealed for exit poll yet.
Mazahir Panahov said international organizations had not appealed concerning it yet. /APA/

The Azerbaijani Greens Party’s (AGP) appeal was rejected. The Baku Court of Appeal examined the AGP’s complaint to cancel decision of the Central Elections Commission (CEC) at a meeting on 17 September.
The Azerbaijani Greens Party was established in 2007.
The AGP Supreme Assembly made a decision to join the presidential elections with own candidate. Under the Supreme Assembly’s decision, the Party nominated Mais Gulaliyev.
The party collected more than 44,000 signatures and submitted them to the CEC for its candidature’s registration. The CEC considered signatures as illegal and did not register Gulaliyev’s candidature.
The Court kept in power the CEC’s decision, the AGP told Trend News. The Party said that they would appeal to the Supreme Court. /Trend/

Favorable conditions will be created for prisoners to watch radio and TV programs to get familiarization with the pre-election programs of the presidential candidatures in Azerbaijan, the Justice Ministry Penitentiary Service (PS) told Trend News on 17 September.
The PS has developed and adopted an action plan in connection with the presidential elections, the Ministry said.
About 19,000 prisoners, including underage people and foreign citizens, serve their punishment in Azerbaijan.
Particularly, training will be held for prisoners, personal staff and servicemen to explain them elections rights at the penitentiary institutions, where polling stations will be organized.
Candidatures’ documents and propaganda means, which the elections headquarters submitted, will be placed at the institutions.
A list of prisoners, employees of the penitentiary service and servicemen with a right of vote, will be developed at the time, which the CEC fixed. After the development of the voters list, transfer of prisoners within the punishment places, as well as their transfer from investigation cells to prisons and discharge of prisoners released before the completion of punishment term will be temporarily suspended.
The Justice Ministry will hand special cards, coordinated with the CEC, to prisoners not having ID cards.
Prisoners, who serve their punishment at special and station type of prisons, will vote at polling stations, organized in a district, where the institutions are located.
In accordance with requirements of the Elections Code, the CEC will announce on establishment of stations at least five days before the elections day at the institutions with special regime, Azar Sariyev, the press secretary of the CEC said. /Trend/

Mazahir Qayibov, member of Supreme Majlis of opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) and Bahaddin Haziyev, former deputy chairman of the party has resigned.
Gayibov resigned as a sign of protest against party’s not joining presidential elections. “I quit Supreme Majls of PFPA and join election campaign of an independent presidential candidate Gulamhuseyn Alibayli together with my supporters,” a statement released by Gayibov said.
Gulamhuseyn Alibayli, chairman of Supreme Majlis of PFPA refused party membership as a protest against party’s not taking part in presidential elections and ran for presidency as an independent candidate.
Gayibov said he will continue his activities in the election headquarters of Alibayli together with his supporters and political organization he is going to set up.
“We are taking this step as a protest against unsuccessful policy PFPA pursued for the last years,” he added.
Boycott of the presidential election by PFPA has brought all bodies and its regional organizations to a standstill, he said. Gayibov called on other PFPA members to withdraw from party’s membership.
On its part, Haziyev said he has resigned because of the policy pursued by opposition. “Every election is an opportunity to achieve political changes in the country. Unfortunately, opposition could not take advantage of these opportunities so far. We have such opportunity in 2008 as well. Opposition could have changed the current government by uniting together. Unsuccessful policy by the opposition has led the public to difficult situation,” a statement by Haziyev said. Haziyev puts an end to his political career in PFPA in order to deal with independent journalism. He is the editor-in-chief of Bizim Yol (Our Way) newspaper.
The party has no information about resignation of Gayibov and Haziyev. The resignation of both of them is unexpected for the party, Hasan Karimov, deputy PFPA chairman for organizational affairs said. /Trend/

The Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan has cast a lot among presidential elections to distribute free air time among them.
As a result of casting of votes, chairman of Popular Front Party of Unified Azerbaijan Gudrat Hasanguliyev gained an opportunity to perform first before the public, Hafiz Hajiyev, chairman of Muasir Musavat Party – second, Fuad Aliyev, chairman of Liberal Democratic Party of Azerbaijan – third, Ilham Aliyev, current president and candidate from ruling New Azerbaijan Party – fourth, Fazil Gazanfaroglu, chairman of Great Establishment Party – fifth, Igbal Agazade, chairman of opposition Umid Party – sixth and independent candidate Gulamhuseyn Alibayli – last.
Each candidate will have free air time of three hours a week in television and radio of Public TV.
The candidates will deliver a speech in the form of ‘round tables’ in odd days of week at 09:00p.m. on radio and on even days at 06:50p.m. on TV.
The presidential elections in Azerbaijan will be held on 15 October. Election campaign will start on 17 September and last 28 days. /Trend/

By the end of the week, measures will be taken to found a new opposition party in Azerbaijan
“We will establish an initiative group in two to three days and will begin work to set up a new party, former MP Gulamhuseyn Alibayli, who is likely to run the party said to TrendNews.
Mazahir Gayibov, member of Supreme Majlis of Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan resigned on 17 September in support of Alibayli. Former PFPA deputy chairman Bahaddin Haziyev also resigned.
There are several options about the name of the party. We are completing discussions on this issue. When the initiative group is announced, we will inform about the name and political ideology of the party, Alibayli said.
Alibayli said resignations in PFPA have nothing to do with him.
“When I was chairman of Supreme Majlis of the party, I was on good terms with top rank party officials and other members as well. But I could not assemble supporters. I think everyone has a right to quit party and move to another party,” he said.
Majority of those represented in the election headquarters founded by him, have quitted PFPA. These people will unite in a new party, he said. /Trend/

Ogtay Asadov, the Azerbaijani speaker, believes that preparations to the presidential elections are carried out at the highest level.
“The presidential elections will be held at the highest level, in line with the international standards, as well as in democratic and transparent conditions,” Asadov said at a meeting with Andreas Herkel, the head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) observation mission of the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, on 16 September.
The PACE observation mission delegation comprised of six people arrived in Azerbaijan on 15 September to get familiarization with the pre-election situation in the country. Members of the mission met with representatives of the international organizations in Azerbaijan, the chairman of the Central Elections Commission (CEC) Mazahir Panahov and the Justice Minister Fikrat Mammadov.
According to Asadov, the parliament has carried out its obligations on preparations for the presidential elections.
“The Parliament injected supplements and changes into the Elections Code and the Law on Freedom of Assembly. The international organizations, the Council of Europe (CE) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) praised these changes,” the speaker said.
In his turn, Herkel, the head of the PACE Observation mission, said that they approve the changes and supplements that the parliament injected into the Elections Code and the Law on Freedom of Assembly.
“However, there are problems which are still to be solved and milestones which we disagree,” he said. /Trend/