Azerbaijani opposition plans rally in support of Ibragimbekov for August 18

The National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) of Azerbaijan has appointed, for August 18, a rally in support of screenwriter Rustam Ibragimbekov, a presidential candidate. The rally will also demand to ensure free and fair presidential election.

On July 30, after the consultations held in Tbilisi, the NCDF decided to appeal to the Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to speed up the procedure of termination of Russian citizenship of Rustam Ibragimbekov. However, according to Eldar Namazov, the head of the executive office of the NCDF, there was no such appeal.

Meanwhile, there is an opinion among Azerbaijani experts that Ibragimbekov has lost his chances to take part in the election as the united presidential candidate.

According to the Azerbaijani political scientist Zardusht Alizade, should Ibragimbekov fail to take part in the election, his potentials as a political leader capable of uniting people and achieve change of regime will evaporate quite quickly.

Togrul Djuvarly, the head of the Azerbaijani National Public Committee for European Integration (ANPCEI), also believes that if Ibragimbekov is not registered as a presidential candidate, the opposition will get weaker. However, in his opinion, "in case of making a proper choice of its tactics and strategy, the NCDF can maintain its unity and to go to the polls as a united team."

Currently, Ibragimbekov is outside Azerbaijan. On August 11, he urged the NCDF members to be prepared for the fact that his candidacy would not be registered.