Azerbaijan, Baku, 6 March / Trend corr. G.Jabiyev / The ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) stated that non-participation of opposition parties in the presidential elections would not affect on the results.
"Regardless of the non-participation of opposition parties in the elections, there would be no doubt as to the democracy of election,' MP Mubariz Gurbanli, YAP Deputy Executive Secretary, stated to Trend .
The presidential elections will be held in Azerbaijan in autumn 2008. Azadlig bloc, which unites three opposition parties, stated that they would boycott the elections if no changes take place in the composition of the election commissions. Musavat, National independence and Democratic parties of Azerbaijan made a decision to participate in the elections, but certain parties may reconsider their participation on the threshold of the elections.
The participation of the public in the elections is the key requisite for democratic elections, Gurbanli believes. The weakness of the opposition in Azerbaijan is evident. "Opposition parties are unable to collect even 10% of votes," MP added.
The MP believes that the political environment in Azerbaijan meets conditions of democracy and any candidate may participate in the upcoming presidential elections with their own candidate.
YAP was founded in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan (NAR) in 1992 by Heydar Aliyev, who then was chairman of the Nakhchivan Parliament. The current chairman of the party is the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has held that position for 14 years.
