Azerbaijani oppositionists claim unequal conditions for campaigning

In Azerbaijan, the overpriced cost of campaigning on radio and TV Channels does not allow opposition parties and independent candidates to participate in the parliamentary campaign along with the ruling party, activists claim.

According to Samir Kazymly, the coordinator of the "Alliance for the Protection of Political Freedoms", opposition and independent candidates will in fact not have access to campaign on TV Channels.

"Only the ruling 'New Azerbaijan' Party will gain access on a free basis on public radio and TV Channels, since only its candidates were registered in almost all districts," the "Caucasian Knot" was correspondent told by Samir Kazymly.

According to him, commercial TV tariffs are too high for the opposition.

The tariffs set by public TV Channels are very high, agrees the leader of the "Musavat" Party Arif Gadjily. "We do not have such funds. The authorities are doing everything to prevent the opposition from having voice on the air," Arif Gadjily told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 15, 2020 at 05:01 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.