Excerpt from report by Azerbaijani news agency Trend on 8th July

Baku, Trend correspondent F. Arifoglu: The chairman of the
parliamentary commission on local government, Zahid Garalov,
said that about 8bn manats [about 2m dollars] are needed to
hold the municipal elections in Azerbaijan. These funds will go
on wages for members of ward and district electoral
commissions, providing them with texts of the law On the
Regulations of the Municipal Elections and the relevant orders
of the Central Electoral Commission, printing ballot papers,
and transport and other expenditures.

Garalov said that because municipalities in Azerbaijan are
being set up for the first time, all expenditure on electoral
campaigns will be financed by the state budget of the
Azerbaijani Republic. Later on election spending for local
government will be paid by the funds of municipalities.
Garalov said the law On the Regulations of the Municipal
Elections had been worked out in a way that would allow the
minimum expenditure on campaigning. [Passage to end omitted:
expenditure could rise]

Source: Trend news agency, Baku, in Russian 1115 gmt 08 Jul 99
BBC Mon TCU 100799 mm/nm