Azeri ruling party official accuses chief election officer of ignorance of laws

Text of report by Azerbaijani newspaper 'Sharg' on 22nd October entitled "Mubariz Gurbanly:`CEC chairman should read the law very carefully'" by Vusala

The law ["On the elections to the Milli Majlis"] demands that the parliamentary hopefuls abandon their posts after their official registration as candidates.

The chairman of the Central Electoral Commission [CEC], Mazahir Panahov, believes that there are candidates who are violating the electoral laws. Panahov believes that the [ruling] New Azerbaijan Party officials [deputy executive secretary and presenter of the "Week" analytical and information programme] Mubariz Gurbanly and [Press and Information Minister] Sirus Tabrizli are conducting their election campaigns without resigning from their posts and the CEC chairman said that the issue of both NAP officials would be considered at a sitting of the commission. Gurbanly does not think he is campaigning for himself by presenting the "Week" programme on AzTV, as is claimed by his rivals. He said that he was surprised at the fact that Mazahir Panahov was unaware of the laws. "The law stipulates the the beginning of the electoral campaign for the parties standing for the elections under the proportional representation list is 45 days prior to polling day and 25 days for candidates running under the first-past-the-post system," Gurbanly said, adding that he was standing for the elections under the first-past-the-post system and "I stopped presenting the "Week" programme 25 days prior to the elections." Mubariz Gurbanly believes that recently the CEC chairman has very often been stressing that this issue will be discussed at a meeting of the commission. Stressing that Mubariz Panahov cannot sideline him from the elections under any pretext, Gurbanly said: "The CEC chairman should first read the law very carefully and then speak."

Source: 'Sharg', Baku, in Azeri 22 Oct 00 p6

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Posted October 25, 2000 © Eurasianet
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