Text of report by Azerbaijani news agency Bilik Dunyasi on 1st
September

Correspondent Sabina Aslanova: The People's Front of Azerbaijan
Party (PFAP) released a statement saying there had been
numerous violations of the law "On the regulations of municipal
elections" in the process of forming the lots-casting and
territorial electoral commissions. The document said that
somehow the candidates, who had been put forward by electoral
meetings, political parties and public organizations, failed to
get on the lots-casting commissions, but representatives of the
local executive authorities somehow got on these commissions.
The attempts of the PFAP local branches to propose their own
candidates to sit on lots-casting commissions failed.

The document also underlines that despite the fact that
the PFAP's 70 district branches put forward their own
candidates, the PFAP's protocols were accepted in just 22
districts. Out of these 22 the conditions were created for PFAP
district branches to take part in the lots-casting in just 12
districts of the republic.

The authors of the statement emphasize that the number of
illegal actions and frauds in the process of organizing the
territorial electoral commissions is increasing.
For example, on the instructions of the local executive
authorities' bodies, the special lots-casting commissions did
not accept the protocols of the voters' meetings and the
candidates of the PFAP's local branches in 23 districts of the
republic, including six districts of the Nakhichevan Autonomous
Republic [Azerbaijani exclave].

In connection with the aforementioned, the PFAP demands
the dissolution of the territorial electoral commissions, which
were formed illegally, and for new ones to be created which
strictly follow the law "On the regulations of municipal
elections", and calls for the executive authorities' bodies not
to be allowed to interfere in the electoral process and for
those guilty to be called to account.

If the total fraud continues during the municipal
elections, the PFAP will be compelled to declare a boycott of
these elections. [See Bilik Dunyasi (Baku, in Russian 1420 gmt
31 Aug 99): "Azeri opposition party stages protest against
municipal election `violations'"].

Source: Bilik Dunyasi, Baku, in Russian 0730 gmt 01 Sep 99
BBC Mon TCU 010999 km/fa