Azerbaijan: CMDPC calls authorities to hold new parliamentary elections

The Azerbaijani Civil Movement for Democracy "Public Chamber" (CMDPC) has urged the authorities to hold new parliamentary elections, "to prevent the development of the situation in the country under the Tunisian or Egyptian scenarios."

On January 29, in Baku, the headquarters of the "Musavat" Party hosted the first plenary session of the Civil Movement for Democracy "Public Chamber", which was founded in the end of last year by the former candidates for deputies who did not agree with the official results of the parliamentary elections held on November 7, 2010.

"The world is changing. This should be a message for the Government of Azerbaijan. Democratization is a global process; it can't be hampered anywhere. We must resolutely protest against the aggressive actions of Azerbaijani authorities in recent days. The government should understand that people will no longer tolerate the police brutality," said Ali Kerimli, a member of the CMDPC and the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan.

Earlier, Ali Gasanov, head of the public-political department of the Presidential Administration, was ironical on the statements of the opposition that the self-immolation of a young man in Tunis, a greenery trader, triggered the uprising, and that this is possible in Azerbaijan.

"I urge the opposition to refrain from searching a greenery trader, ready to commit self-immolation. Now, the opposition's actions look like a search of such trader. They (oppositionists) think that they can come to power in this manner," Mr Gasanov told journalists ironically in his interview.