Municipal elections to be held in Azerbaijan

Today is the last day of campaigning in the municipal elections in Azerbaijan that are set for December 17, 2004. The election campaign in the country was conducted normally for the most part, with the exception of one application about a violation, Azer Saryev, spokesman for the Azerbaijan Central Election Commission told the Caucasian Knot correspondent.

However not all political parties participating in the municipal elections agree with the commission's opinion that the election campaign in Azerbaijan was conducted in compliance with the law. A press release of the Azerbaijan Liberal Party reads that the party decided to take part in the municipal elections in spite of the fact that the election campaign in the country was conducted with gross violations. District election commissions denied registration to a thousand party members, though 70 of them passed the registration in spite of everything. Pressure was put on these candidates too. But the party decided not to keep aloof from the elections, thought it does not at all mean that it believes in the ability of the Azerbaijan electoral system to provide fair and democratic elections.