Text of report by Azerbaijani news agency Turan on 9th March

Ruling party's victory should not surprise as elections rigged - Azeri
agency

Text of report by Azerbaijani news agency Turan on 9th March
[No dateline, as received] On 25th February, Jafar Veliyev, chairman of the
Central Electoral Commission [CEC], held a session on the results of the
municipal elections conducted on 12th December 1999. The final results of
the municipal elections were finally announced after a delay of almost two
months.

[Passage omitted: figures for the turnout, number of candidates, observers,
etc. See earlier report ANS TV (Baku, in Russian 1600 gmt 27 Dec 99):
"Azeri electoral body announces results of municipal elections"]
According to the CEC's data, representatives of 26 political parties
participated in the elections. As a result of the valid elections, the
distribution of seats for those elected to municipal bodies from the
various parties is as follows:

New Azerbaijan Party - 8,305

People's Front of Azerbaijan Party [PFAP] - 754

Musavat - 618

Social Welfare Party - 285

Motherland Party - 140

Party for National Independence [of Azerbaijan] - 83

Civic Solidarity Party - 64

Republican Party - 60

Communist Party - 29

United Communist Party - 27

People's Party - 25

Unity Party - 15

Independent Azerbaijan Party - 10

Social Democratic Party - 10

Liberal Party - 6

Another 28 seats went to representatives of other parties. The number of
nonparty municipal members totalled 9,951 people. In all, as of today,
20,545 people have been elected to municipal councils.

The final figures, which were announced by CEC chairman Jafar Veliyev, met
with protests from the leading political parties - PFAP and Musavat.
Alimammad Nuriyev, chairman of the PFAP electoral commission, said that the
figures presented were the result of "several CEC falsifications". He said
that after the first falsification, the PFAP had won 1,200 seats, but
today's figure vindicated the fact that there had been several cases of
rigging. In turn, Arif Hajiyev, chairman of the Musavat Party's electoral
commission, said that he was surprised by the results announced by the CEC.
He said that 1,200 party members had been elected to municipal bodies and
that they had even received their certificates. He supposed that the CEC
might have been mistaken or that the figures might have been deliberately
rigged.

Anyhow, as of today, according to the CEC's official data, the ruling New
Azerbaijan Party gained a convincing victory and won over 40 per cent of
the mandates. But this should not take anyone by surprise: traditionally
elections are conducted in a closed regime in the country and the CEC,
which is obedient to the president's will, falsifies their official
results.
 
Source: Turan news agency, Baku, in Russian 1200 gmt 09 Mar 00
BBC Mon TCU 090300 km/sa