Text of report from Azerbaijani newspaper 'Zerkalo' on 30th
August by E. Garabalov entitled "The opposition is disappointed
and has set up an election centre"

A new structure was set up - an election centre joined by ten
people - at yesterday's sitting of the Movement for Democratic
Elections and Electoral Reform [MDEER].

The appearance of this structure is due to the fact that
cooperation between the opposition and the authorities on
municipal elections is very likely to fail. Opposition members
believe that the country's leadership's ignorance of the
package of proposals drawn up by the MDEER commission for
amendments to the laws regulating the order of holding
elections to local self-government bodies boils down to such a
pessimistic conclusion.

Being disappointed in the possibility of attaining a
compromise with the authorities, the opposition chose to
coordinate the efforts of all the opposition forces running in
the elections as a priority in its activities. The following
task is exactly what has been set before the newly-created
centre: to establish permanent contacts with all the parties
preparing to stand in the municipal elections and, if
necessary, to prepare the opposition's organized activity with
the same stance. Special premises have been allocated to the
centre at the headquarters of the Civic Solidarity Party. Some
of its members will constantly be there.

The municipal elections themselves promise to cause no
fewer problems than last year's presidential elections. The
opposition is already talking about irregularities in casting
lots to set up territorial electoral commissions. Mais Safarli,
leader of the Compatriot Party, who has been elected as a
member of the electoral centre, told 'Zerkalo' that
lots-casting procedures had taken place without opposition
representatives in some areas.

There was also a direct refusal to include opposition
members in lots-casting lists, Safarli said. In some districts,
e.g. in Apsheron and Masally Districts, the reception of the
names of candidates has already been concluded in spite of the
fact that this process should have been extended until 8th
September.

All these facts were reflected in yesterday's statement by
the MDEER. Copies of the statement will be presented to the
local mass media, along with foreign embassies and
representations of international organizations accredited in
Baku.

Source: 'Zerkalo', Baku, in Russian 30 Aug 99 p2
BBC Mon TCU 300899 sh/ek