Azerbaijan, Baku, July 27 / Trend A. Huseynbala /
Azerbaijani opposition party intends to do an experiment in the municipal elections.
"All members of our party have the full freedom to nominate their candidature for municipal membership," Chairman of Tereggi party, Chingiz Damiroglu, told Trend on July 27.
Azerbaijani municipal elections are scheduled for autumn 2009 and parliamentary elections for autumn 2010. Municipal elections have been held twice - in 1999 and 2004.
The law unifying several municipalities was adopted in the Azerbaijani Parliament in May.
The number of municipalities in Azerbaijan was reduced from 2,757 to 1,766 in accordance with this law.
Damiroglu said that any self-confident candidate who has the chance to be elected can nominate his candidature. "We have the chance to test the power of the members of town and regional organizations once in five years. Therefore, central office will not give instructions concerning the nomination of any concrete candidate in any local organization," he said.
He said that the lack of limitation in nominating candidates must not turn into self-indulgence. "Everybody knows which party members have the best chance in all the local organizations. So I know that no mistakes will be made by this choice."
He said that this experiment will be also a test for the 2010 parliamentary elections. "If our party members make the right choice, it will be a good trial for us on the eve of parliamentary elections," said the Chairman of the party.
Tereggi party has operated as a radical opposition party for more than 10 years. The Party decided to join the loyal opposition and support candidate Ilham Aliyev at the presidential elections in 2008.
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