Opposition News

Opposition willing to discuss new initiatives on Electoral Code

The Coordinating Center of the Opposition (CCO) held a meeting at the Civil Solidarity Party's office on Thursday. Following the meeting, the party chairman, MP Sabir Rustamxanli said that party leaders had discussed talks over the draft Electoral Code conducted between government and opposition representatives Sahin Aliyev and Fuad Agayev on March 6 and 11. Commenting on the talks, he said the government retained full control and monopoly over electoral commissions, and failed to guarantee free and just elections through legislation. Sabir Rustamxanli pointed out that the opposition considered it optimal to form electoral commissions on a parity basis from representatives of political parties that won more than one per cent of votes in the parliamentary elections. The Coordinating Center of the Opposition stated its readiness to consider new initiatives relating to forming electoral commissions.

Party members arrested at rally

Yusif Salmanov, the chairman of the People’s Front Party’s (reformers) Sumgayit office and a municipality member, his deputy Elmar Sadiqli and party member Niyamaddin Heydarov were detained at the Yasamal district police department during a rally held by the Co-ordinating Centre of the Opposition on March 16 outside the Qalaba cinema. In its press release on Monday, the People's Front Party claimed that the detained party members suffered from violence by the police. In the meantime, deputy chief of the Yasamal police department Cingiz Mammadov said they were caught red-handed while handing out cash to rally participants and were detained for instigating people to rally and offering resistance to the police. Elmar Sadixli and Niyamaddin Heydarov were sentenced to five days and Yusif Salmanov to three days.