ROW OVER AZERBAIJAN'S MUNICIPAL ELECTION LAW CONTINUES.

At a meeting in Baku on 16 August, members of Azerbaijan's Central
Electoral Commission said that the amendments to the law on
municipal elections proposed by the U.S. National Democratic
Institute and the Azerbaijani opposition Movement for
Electoral Reform and Democratic Elections (MERDE) constitute
"a premeditated insult" and interference into the country's
internal affairs, Turan reported. They also condemned
accusations that commission chairman Djafar Veliev is ready
to falsify the results of the poll. Veliev presided over the
parliamentary elections in November 1995 and the October 1998
presidential poll, both of which were described by
international observers as undemocratic and marred by
widespread fraud. Meanwhile, two opposition representatives
of MERDE told Turan on 16 August that they do not regard
presidential administration official Ali Hasanov's criticism
of the proposed amendments as valid (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
16 August 1999). LF