In Azerbaijan, oppositionists who united into "Public Chamber" are ready for new protests

On January 8 in Baku, at the sitting of the Civil Movement for Democracy "Public Chamber" (CMDPC), its Coordination Board (CB) was re-elected; and the tasks of this oppositional formation for 2012 were discussed, namely: a demand to release 16 convicts after the last year's spring protest actions, and to raise the issue of resignation of President Ilham Aliev.

Let us remind you that the Civil Movement for Democracy "Public Chamber" (CMDPC) was founded after the parliamentary elections held in November 2010. The movement includes former candidates for deputies from different parties of Azerbaijan, and independent and non-partisan candidates.

Currently, the CMDPC has about 450 members; and its representative offices were created in 40 regions of the country; and the total number of supporters makes over 2500.

According to Isa Gambar, the leader "Musavat" Party, who presided over the above sitting, in 2012, the CMDPC should take a tougher stand in its political struggle.

In his opinion, in 2012, the CMDPC should put resignation of President Ilham Aliev on its agenda and start protest actions with this demand.

Only the CMDPC is able to achieve democratic changes in Azerbaijan, said Ibragim Ibragimli, a civil society activist.

Ilgar Ibrahimoglu, the leader of the DEVAMM (The Azerbaijani Centre in Defence of Freedom of Conscience and Religion), accented in his speech the compliance of the values of Islam with the ideals of freedom of the Azerbaijani people.

The need to hold mass actions with the demand to release the 16 convicts in connection with the last year's spring protests was stated by Ali Kerimli, the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), when he highlighted the task of the movement for 2012.

According to Panakh Gusein, a former Azerbaijani MP, the authorities of the country are facing a serious political crisis. He saw an indicator of this in the public criticism of the authorities by prominent country's intellectuals.

The Azerbaijani authorities reject the criticism of the opposition and believe that the country is successfully progressing, the people support the government's policy, and there is no threat to stability.

In particular, Ali Gasanov, the head of the socio-political division of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said recently that according to the public opinion poll conducted in Azerbaijan in November last year by the British Company "Populus Limited", 95 percent of the population had high level of confidence in President Ilham Aliev, and 96 percent supported him.