Azerbaijan Opposition Holds Protest Rally

Sunday November 20, 2005 4:46 AM, By AIDA SULTANOVA, Associated Press Writer

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) - Thousands of people gathered in a Baku square Saturday as Azerbaijan's opposition parties protested against disputed parliamentary elections - the latest rally in a campaign that has made little headway.

A crowd of around 15,000 rallied as speakers denounced alleged fraud in the Nov. 6 elections, which kept control of the 125-seat legislature firmly in the hands of the ruling party. Opposition parties obtained only 10 seats, according to official results.

``It is only now that the struggle for free elections has begun,'' said Ali Kerimli, leader of the Popular Front, one of the parties in the Azadliq opposition bloc.

Saturday's crowd was smaller than the one at a previous rally about a week earlier, which attracted some 20,000.

Holding orange flags and wearing orange scarves, inspired by last year's successful Orange Revolution in Ukraine, demonstrators chanted: ``Resign!'' and ``Freedom to the nation, freedom to the people!''

International observers have said the polls below democratic standards, but Western countries concerned about stability in the oil-rich Caspian Sea state bordering Iran have not endorsed opposition demands for repeat elections.

Faced with an authoritarian government led by President Ilham Aliev, who succeeded his long-ruling father in 2003, the opposition has failed to capitalize on resentment over corruption that has helped keep more than 40 percent of people in poverty despite the former Soviet republic's oil wealth.

Thousands join Azeri poll protest
Opposition supporters demanded an election re-run

Saturday 19 November 2005, 23:17 Makka Time, 20:17 GMT

Around 15,000 opposition supporters have rallied on the outskirts of Baku, demanding that Azerbaijan's leaders re-run parliamentary elections that Western observers said were marred by fraud.

Saturday's protest was the third major demonstration since a 6 November poll handed victory to those loyal to President Ilham Aliyev. Observers said the vote was marred by ballot stuffing and police interference.

The opposition promised a popular uprising in the oil-rich former Soviet republic if elections were rigged, but analysts say they are too weak to stage a repeat of Ukraine's Orange Revolution. "The people of Azerbaijan demand the resignation of those in power. The question of fair elections is a question of honour," Ali Kerimli, joint leader of the Azadlyq opposition bloc that won only a handful of seats, told the crowds.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said 15,000 people took part in the protest. Police said they estimated fewer than 5000 were present and that there were no disturbances.

Isa Gambar, another opposition leader, said the government's decision to cancel the election results in some districts would not appease them.

Plea to the West

The protesters urged the West, whose companies have invested heavily in oil from the Muslim republic, to support them. "Bush, why are you keeping silent?" read one placard appealing to the United States president. President Aliyev responded to the scathing report on the vote by international election monitors by promising that officials found to have interfered with the ballot would be punished.

The opposition have vowed to continue their demonstrations.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A36C2C64-CEB1-479E-8F9C-2F4C38DC0E00.htm

Thousands in fresh Azeri protest

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have protested in the Azeri capital, Baku, against the results and conduct of the 6 November parliamentary election.

Protesters say the poll was rigged. International observers say it fell below democratic standard. Some demonstrators called for a permanent protest in the capital until the election results are annulled. Several hundred riot police watched the rally, the largest yet. Two previous protests passed off without incident. The authorities agreed to recounts in five out of 125 electoral districts, and are investigating fraud in more than 10 others. However, they say any changes will not affect the official result, which is due to be announced on 26 November.

Stand-off

Up to 30,000 people attended the rally. At least 20,000 people attended the two previous protests. Demonstrators, many wearing orange clothing and carrying orange flags in reference to last year's protest-led "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine, called for President Aliyev to step down. "We will move towards our goal and achieve regime change," opposition leader Isa Gambar told the crowd, the AFP news agency reported.

"These elections were won by the opposition. The people won," he said. One protester held a poster reading: "Bush, why are you keeping silence?" Many wanted to stay overnight, but opposition leaders told them to go home peacefully to avoid confrontation with police, who have violently beaten demonstrators in the past.

However, the opposition has warned it may not abide by government restrictions on demonstrations when the official election results are published in a week's time. Freedom of assembly in Azerbaijan is limited - a government permit is required to rally, and demonstrations cannot last longer than two hours and are not allowed in the city centre.

Oil interests

The opposition has appealed to the courts and is waiting for a ruling on the legitimacy of the election results. However, Mr Aliyev's government shows little sign of giving in, says the BBC's Natalia Antelava in Baku. And some in Azerbaijan believe the opposition has lost its chance of bringing serious change. The major opposition parties won 10 out of 125 parliamentary seats.

President Ilham Aliyev's ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party won half the seats and controls many of those won by independents and smaller parties.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/4452174.stm

Published: 2005/11/19 15:01:25 GMT
© BBC MMV

Tens of thousands rally in anti-government protest in baku

BAKU (AFP) -- Up to 30,000 protesters flooded a square in Azerbaijan's capital Baku Saturday demanding regime change and fresh parliamentary elections amid a simmering political crisis and calls for a Ukraine-style peaceful revolution.

"The revolution has already begun in Azerbaijan, but this is a peaceful democratic revolution," Sardar Jalaloglu, a top opposition leader told the crowd.

Demonstrators, many wearing orange clothing and carrying orange flags to recall images from last year's "revolution" named after that color in Ukraine, chanted "Step down!" in calls directed at the former Soviet state's President Ilham Aliyev.

Two previous opposition rallies in the square saw up to 20,000 people attend but Azerbaijan's opposition, wary of a government crackdown, has not yet risked asking its supporters to overstay legal rally permits for a sit in protest.

Saturday's rally dispersed peacefully after its permit expired.

Demonstrators were protesting the results of a November 6 vote, slammed as deeply flawed by European observers, in which Aliyev's Yeni (New) Azerbaijan party took most of the seats in the country's 125-member parliament.

Opposition groups, united in the new Democratic Front alliance, have refused to recognize the results of an election in which they won just 10 seats and have called on officials to declare void almost all the results.

Saturday's protest was also noted for an increase in anti-Western sentiment after the United States and the European Union have shown no signs of supporting opposition calls for a new vote.

"These elections were won by the opposition. The people won," Isa Gambar, leader of one of the opposition's largest parties said at the rally, adding that demonstrators should not give police any excuse to use force.

Azeri authorities so far say the vote was flawed in only five constituencies and have ruled out calls for a fresh vote, threatening to break up any protests that overstay permits issued by city authorities.

Western governments have called for restraint on the part of both the government and the opposition.

In a change from previous events, Azerbaijan's mostly pro-Western opposition gave a mixed message at the protest, signaling there was disagreement over what approach to take in battling the election's results, analysts said.

"Their statements often clashed, some called for more radical measures and others called for dialog with the government," said Shahin Abassov, an analyst with Eurasia.net.

Abassov said the opposition was sending a message to Washington that signaled it could soon lose control of elements within its ranks that are disenchanted with the West and desire a confrontation with the regime.

"Anti-western sentiment was much stronger at this rally than before," Abassov said.

International oil companies have invested billions of dollars into Azerbaijan's energy industry and Western governments have shown little appetite for a revolution here because of concerns over stability in the oil-rich nation, observers have said.

In their hand-written posters, ordinary demonstrators seemed to reflect disenchantment with the West's approach. One read "Our democracy is not for sale" adding an expletive. Another called on the West to "stand true to your values. Do not exchange democracy for oil."

http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=11/20/2005&Cat=4&Num=12

30,000 protest Azerbaijan's vote tallies

Nov. 19, 2005 at 1:06PM

Some 30,000 people protested in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the latest demonstration challenging results of the Nov. 6 parliamentary election, a report said.
Larger than the two previous demonstrations, protesters called for the election to be annulled amid reports of irregularities, the BBC reported.
Under the watchful eye of hundreds of riot police, there was no violence in Azerbaijan's capital.

Government authorities have agreed to recounts in five of 125 electoral districts and were investigating fraud in more than 10 other districts, but said any changes likely would not affect the official result to be announced next Saturday.

In the parliamentary balloting, President Ilham Aliyev's ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party won half the seats and controls many other seats won by independents and smaller parties, the BBC reported.

Major opposition parties won just 10 of 125 seats.

http://www.washtimes.com/upi/20051119-113609-8240r.htm