“Opposition cannot establish any union without Azerbaijan Democratic Party, because when we speak about opposition at first we mean ADP. We will not allow Azerbaijani opposition to take wrong course as it was earlier”, said ADP Chairman Sardar Calaloglu in his interview to APA.
He said AXCP proposed opposition to ask international organizations not to send observers to Azerbaijan. “As well as it is proposed to state about non-recognition of election results before the elections. ADP backing on previous experiences considers that it is a wrong way in current geopolitical situation. We are damaging the Azerbaijani statehood creating extra pressures upon the government. On the other hand there is no mechanism to prevent international observers. Therefore we suggested to remove both proposals from the agenda and to establish union to defend Azerbaijan’s statehood, but our friends don’t like it”.

October 15 – day of presidential elections in Azerbaijan is nonworking day, Spokesman for Central Election Commission Azer Sariyev told APA. He said that though the voting falls on a working day – Wednesday, according to item 8.2 of the Electoral Code, voting day is not considered a working day in the area where the elections are held.

According to item 100-102 of the Constitution, presidential elections are held in Azerbaijan every five years, on Wednesday of the third week of October the year when the president’s tenure expires.

CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev will lead the organization’s Observation Mission that will follow the presidential elections in Azerbaijan on October 15. APA reports that the decision was made at the meeting of Council of the Member-State Permanent Representatives of CIS.
The Observation Mission will include long-term and short-term delegates. Long-term observers are expected to arrive in Baku next month. Chief of Elections Department of CIS Executive Committee Yevgeni Sloboda will head the mission’s election office in Azerbaijan. Sloboda visited Baku some days ago and met with CEC Chairman Mazahir Panahov, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and other officials.

Lala Shovkat, the leader of National Union opposition movement and co-chairman of Azadlig bloc believes that the unity and cooperation of opposition is not usually sincere.
“Therefore, the cooperation of opposition will not last long,” Lala Shovkat said while answering the question whether the opposition forces can create a new union.
Leader of National Unity movement said that the union of opposition is just a social necessity. The issue of cooperation became important after real opposition parties boycotted elections, she said.
“I have always been the proponent of unity.

Central Election Commission (CEC) prepared 2 different placards calling the citizens to participate in the presidential elections to be held on 15 October, the Press Service of CEC told APA. The placards printed by 20 thousand draws are already distributed to sub-commissions. The CEC plans to realize some other measures related to calling electors to vote.

Azerbaijani pro-governmental Ana Vatan party (AVP) has developed arrangement plan with regard to the presidential elections.
“The arrangement plan had been developed under my chairmanship. AVP will observe the election process and therefore, we need to define observer amongst party members,” MP Fazail Agamali, Chairman of AVP, told Trend News.
At the fifth meeting of AVP in July, the party nominated the candidature of the Azerbaijani incumbent President Ilham Aliyev.
Agamali said that AVP activity regarding the elections would not be limited only supporting Aliyev’s candidature.

Pascal Muni, an expert of the Council of Europe (CE), believes that the key task of the media is not to spread politicians’ statements, but the information, which citizens need.
“It is important that media should create equal conditions for everybody,” the CE expert said at a conference in Baku on 26 August.
Organized by the CE and Azerbaijani New Generation Journalist Union, a conference on the Media and elections. Media’s democratic responsibility was held in Baku on 26 August, TrendNews reported. The conference took place within the framework of the CE Actions Plan to improve professionalism of media in Azerbaijan on the eve of 2008presidential elections.
The CE expert said that the condition should be created for media’s independent activity in the elections process. It is important that media should not damage moral issue, he said.

The pre-election situation in Azerbaijan may be discussed at the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) Bureau in Paris.
“The issues regarding Azerbaijan are not included into Bureau’s agenda. However, the discussions may take place with regard to the pre-election situation in the country,” Samad Seyidov, Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE and Vice President of the organization, told Trend News on 26 August.
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.
PACE Bureau meeting will be held in Paris on 5 September.

The Association on Assistance to Civil Development in Azerbaijan published the results of training organized on August 15- 21 in six regions of the country in connection with the presidential elections.
The results revealed the absence of cards containing data about observers, as well as demand of documents from observers, which were not specified in the law, at different constituency commissions. The presidential elections in Azerbaijan will be held on October 15.
Organized by the Association on Assistance to Civil Development in the Azerbaijani regions of Ismayilli, Goychay, Qakh, Qabala, Ganja, the training provided information on the latest changes made to the Electoral Code, recommendations of the Venice Commission, rights and responsibilities, regulations on observers’ conduct, the international experience on this issue.

“I admit that the activity of Azerbaijan Social Democratic Party has weakened. This is connected with the problems inside the party. Opinion about the part in the society has changed,” co-chair of Azerbaijan Social Democratic Party (ASDP), ex-president Ayaz Mutallibov told APA. He said that there was divergence in ASDP concerning the participation in the elections and the plenary session of the party’s Central Committee clarified it.
“I do not admit the statements that my influence has weakened. I am in Moscow, and the party functions in Azerbaijan. Of course, Araz Alizadeh should be directly engaged in managing the party,” he said.

Council of Europe and “Yeni Nesil” Journalists’ Union hold a conference “Media and elections: Democratic commitment of media” in Baku.
APA reports that the conference is held within the framework of the joint project of the Council of Europe and European Commission “Moldova and South Caucasus – support to free and fair elections”. Parliamentarians, editors, journalists, nongovernmental organizations, analysts, foreign and local experts attend the conference. Head of Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Samad Seyidov said that one of the commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan upon accession to the Council of Europe was the democratic development of media.

Council of Europe and “Yeni Nesil” Journalists’ Union hold a conference “Media and elections: Democratic commitment of media” in Baku.
APA reports that the conference is held within the framework of the joint project of the Council of Europe and European Commission “Moldova and South Caucasus – support to free and fair elections”. Parliamentarians, editors, journalists, nongovernmental organizations, analysts, foreign and local experts attend the conference. Head of Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Samad Seyidov said that one of the commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan upon accession to the Council of Europe was the democratic development of media.