Azerbaijan, Baku, 7 June / corr. Trend E.Babayev / The Azerbaijani ex-speaker considers that the authorities will not be changed as result of the forthcoming presidential elections. "The reality is that there is no alternative candidate for the authorities, and no changes should be expected. In another word, there is not a candidate capable to compete with the candidate from the authorities from the aspects of charisma, resources and popularity in the society," Yagub Mammadov, the ex-speaker, told Trend on 6 June.
The presidential elections will be held in Azerbaijan on 15 October 2008.
The Musavat Party nominates Isa Gambar, its chairman, Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP) - Sardar Jaliloglu, its leader, and the Greens Party - Maisa Gulaliyeva, its chairman. Eldar Namazov, a political scientist, stated that he would participate independently in the elections. The Yeni Azerbaijan Party, governing party, will nominate Ilham Aliyev, the current Azerbaijani President. The Azadlyg bloc, uniting three oppositional parties (Popular Front, Civil Development and Liberal), intends to impose a boycott on the elections.
According to Mammadov, he has determined his position on the elections. "I will not nominate my candidature. However, I am still to define whom I will support. I will take a final decision after examining candidates, who will get registration after the official commencement of the electoral campaign," Mammadov said. He also indefinitely answered the question regarding the support of Eldar Namazov, with whom he cooperated within the framework of the Yeni Siyaset Bloc during parliamentarian elections in 2005. Mamedov said that he had known Eldar Namazov for a long time, they had good relations. "But I am still determining whom to support," he stated.
Mammadov was elected speaker in March 1992. Some time he replaced Ayaz Mutallibov, when the latter was removed from the presidential post. In the same year, when the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party came into power, he resigned. Mammadov was the co-founder of the Yeni Siyaset Bloc and a parliamentary candidate in the parliamentarian elections in 2005.
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