There are disagreements amongst Azerbaijani opposition parties on places to hold mass actions.
Presidential candidature Fazil Gazanfaroglu, the chairman of the Great Establishment Party (GEP) does not think that places allocated by the Baku City Administration to hold mass actions, are far from the centre of the city. “There are places with normal conditions within the precincts of a city in the list of places allocated for assembly. Organizer of actions can assemble enough supporters at these places,” Gazanfaroglu told Trend News on 10 September.
In accordance with the Law on Freedom of Assembly, the Baku City Administration specified addresses of places to hold demonstrations in districts of the capital city.
According to Gazanfaroglu, monitoring should be organized to solve problems of technical provision to hold mass actions in the places allocated with this respect: “Political parties and representatives of the non-governmental organizations (NGO) should develop a reference on these places. References will clarify opportunity to hold mass demonstrations at the places. Afterwards, unambiguous opinion can be formed on success of these places.”
The GEP chairman stated that the party would hold mass actions in Baku and regions of the country during pre-elections campaign. “We are not interested in holding mass actions at places, which are not allocated for mass actions, because we will hold mass actions not to break out clashes, but to gain votes of people,” Gazanfaroglu said.
Ali Aliyev, the co-chairman of Azadlig bloc and the chairman of the Citizen and Development Party (CDP), believes that new places allocated by the Baku City Administration, do not differ from the previous places.
“Objective of mass actions is to draw public attention to existing problems. Allocating places for mass actions beyond the city is to minimize importance of mass actions and to prevent organizers to publicize their positions and aim of actions for the public,” Aliyev told Trend News.
According to Aliyev, opposition political organizations signing joint declaration will hold discussions on holding mass actions. “Decision to hold mass demonstrations will depend on character of period of the pre-elections campaign,” he said.
Political organizations signing joint document do not intend to hold mass demonstrations at the new allocated places, the CDP chairman said. “If mass actions are hold at a distance, they will not be brought to the public attention. I think that it is suitable to hold mass actions at places near to centre, where people can come there easily,” Aliyev said.
On 5 September 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’ signed a joint statement on recognition of the presidential elections to be held on 15 October as illegitimate. Authorities, which will be formed after the presidential elections, are announced as illegitimate in the statement. /Trend/