Azernews, 23 March 2005

Major opposition parties - the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Popular Front Party (PFPA) and Musavat - will participate in the parliamentary election in November 2005 in a joint bloc, entitled "Ugur" ("Success"), the three parties told a news conference after signing a relevant statement.

Musavat chairman Isa Gambar expressed confidence that candidates nominated from the new bloc will collect 75% of votes. Therefore, electoral blocs other opposition parties may set up to run for the election do not stand a chance of collecting many votes in the election, he said.

The PFPA chairman Ali Karimli said political struggle in the election will take place mainly between the new bloc and the ruling New Azerbaijan Party. He said that the forthcoming parliamentary elections are a chance to put an end to falsifications. The decision to set up the new bloc may allow to drastically change the socio-political situation in Azerbaijan. The Azeri people will have a choice this November: to vote for the outdated and corrupt authorities or the democratic forces capable of fostering a new stream of reforms in the country, said Karimli.

The ADP acting secretary general Akif Shahbazov said that other opposition parties will be invited to the new bloc as well. However, an informal source told Azernews that leaders of the three parties do not want this to happen, as they give preference to the "Burchanadze-Saakashvili-Jvania" model used in Georgia's 2003 election.

Deputy executive secretary of the New Azerbaijan Party Mubariz Gurbanli said his party is not concerned over the establishment of new opposition blocs.

"We are not concerned over various opposition unions, which present their blocs with some fervor. The opposition representatives have tried to act from a common position many times, but were not supported by the people."