TCU-AZERI-PARLIAMENT-POLL
Text of report by Azerbaijani newspaper 'Azadlyg' on 30th April by Lala Mutallimova entitled "DemBloc may demand dissolution of parliament"
Subhead: Bloc members do not yet wish to return to parliament The present [opposition umbrella organization] Democratic Bloc will not be a successor to the previous one. This opinion was recently voiced by the chairman of a non-bloc party. It seems that the opinion that opposition MPs will confine themselves to withdrawing from the parliament assembly hall, taking a soft line on the speaker's actions in parliament is true, at least partly. An atmosphere not of struggle but of having been offended dominated the Democratic Bloc's news conference at the Musavat Party headquarters yesterday. We have to note first that although the MPs had promised to hold a meeting with Musavat leader [Isa Gambar] in the presence of media representatives, they subsequently changed their mind and barred journalists from attending the meeting. The press conference which we will talk about was held on the insistence of press representatives. MP for the DPA [Democratic Party of Azerbaijan] Yusif Bagirzade said they had discussed the municipal elections and the relevant draft law with Isa Gambar. He said that Isa Gambar had given MPs some instructions on the issue. Objecting to his colleague's statement, the chairman of the Civic Solidarity Party, MP Sabir Rustamkhanly, said "the Democratic Bloc does not receive instructions from anyone. In the last resort, advice can be given".
Noting that the Democratic Bloc was a major political entity, Rustamkhanly said that they would prove to the parliament speaker that the opposition was backed by a great force. In his opinion, if the current attitude to the Democratic Bloc continued in parliament, the opposition would have to boycott the municipal elections as they had boycotted the presidential elections. Togrul Ibrahimli [leader of the Namus Party] said that the current parliament was a symbol of the truncheon. Recalling that the previous Democratic Bloc was hardly allowed a say in parliament, the MP said they had left the assembly hall since they wanted to use the methods not of three or five years ago but more civilized methods. A PFAP [People's Front of Azerbaijan Party] MP, (?N. Guliyev) said "even though it is the same place, it is a different time. That Democratic Bloc had everybody's help, and the situation is different now".
He said that if the required conditions were not created for MPs' activity in parliament, the Democratic Bloc would raise the question of the dissolution of parliament. A DPA deputy, Mahir Asadov, said they were demanding basic conditions from the speaker. "In this case we will attend parliament's sitting tomorrow," he said. As to today's discussion of the municipal elections in parliament, although the MDEER [Movement for Democratic Elections and Electoral Reform] and the Democratic Congress had advised the Democratic Bloc to participate in the discussion, the Bloc has decided not to be involved in the debate. The conclusion can be drawn from what the Democratic Bloc members said that it will not be possible to pass the election law without the opposition's involvement. Not least because international organizations will not believe that the law is a democratic one. This is probably what the MP for the PFAP, Mirmahmud Fattayev meant when he said "they will not pass the laws on municipal and parliamentary elections without us". Source: 'Azadlyg', Baku, in Azeri 30 Apr 99 pp 1,2