Eldar Namazov: "Not a single cent out of US-allocated $3 mln is intended for opposition..."

-Mr.Namazov, you have recently decided to participate in the coming presidential elections. Was is easy or difficult for you to decide and why did you decide to participate?

-I decided to participate in the presidential elections, having a proposal of the group of parties on creation of the Election bloc, proposal to participate in the elections as a candidate from one party and a proposal to nominate from the initiative group, which will include many famous people. Closer to the start of the presidential racing, we will discuss and choose one of these three variants, which will be considered most optimal in the established situation.

As for whether it was difficult or easy to decide to take part, the preparations for the decision was conducted for about a year. I initiated the Civil charter of national solidarity and democratic resurrection in summer of the last year and it included the main principles of my platform. In autumn of the last year we held numerous discussions of the Civil Charter, over 100 people, famous in the country and representing different categories of population, signed and supported this charter.

We also held a campaign among ordinary people and collected over 10,000 signatures within several months. This was a kind of a trial of the public opinion of various categories of population and we got the positive reaction, we hoped for.

In late 2007-early 2008 we held 6 meetings with the citizens of the capital in Sabail, Khatai, Narimanov and Binagadi districts. In spring we started to work with the regions-I visited Aghstafa, Qazakh, Ganja, Yevlakh. Our representatives visited the north and south areas. Gradually, the last month we were developing the calendar plan of actions for the whole period of the presidential campaign.

After we held the whole annual preliminary work, got the needed reverse reaction and analyzed results of this trial and confirmed the calendar plan of actions for the whole campaign, I decided to take part in the elections.

-Last time we spoke you said that the meeting with voters is planned for the near future. Which work is carried out in this direction?

-We will start this campaign from the beginning of the next week. The venues and terms of the first 4-5 meetings are being planned and the remaining are being specified. Until the official campaign starts, we plan the meetings not on the territorial principles, but by the social groups-with the youth, intelligence, war veterans, religious people and others.

After the presidential campaign starts, the meetings will be arranged by the territorial principle.

-What will be the basis of your election platform? Which problems will be paid more attention?

-My platform includes three major trends-we propose national concord, democracy, high quality living conditions for a definite person. The first trend implies adoption of a law on the status of the ex-president and apply it regarding all former presidents and their family members including Heydar Aliyev, Ayaz Mutallibov and Abulfaz Elchibey.

Wide political amnesty, including closing of all politically-motivated cases, release of political prisoners and arrested reporters, creation of conditions for return of all political migrants to the country, is needed.

On par with it, it is necessary to hold economic amnesty to legalize shadow economy, guarantee to private owners that change of powers will not lead to new division of property in favor of winners. It is also necessary to create the socio-political council of national concord and reconciliation with participation of the whole specter of major political powers and prominent representatives of the Azerbaijani society, under the President, so that consensus decisions, meeting the interests of all groups and categories, are adopted on the priority issues of the national and state development.

The second direction implies not a simple replacement of specialists, there are good specialists both in the existing government and among the opposition and the civil society. The most important is to hold the constitutional reform of the whole system of state regulation-restrict powers of the president, widen powers of the Prime Minister and the Parliament, restore proportional system of elections in the parliament, apply appointment of city mayors and heads of executive powers of regions by election, consolidate the economic basis and status of municipal bodies, establish city municipal councils and others.

The third direction has an entire package of economic reforms, developed in the framework of the project of "Next 10 years" with participation of all leading economists of the country. But along with these three main directions, there are a  number of special programs including "Available residence", "Professional army" on the goodwill contract basis, "Resurrection of Baku" and others.

-How much will you need to participate in the presidential elections and for informing the voters about your platform? Where will you take them?

-I know that our society adores to count money... Let me evade the open answer to the question. We have not yet created the atmosphere of supremacy of laws and democracy in the country, which would allow to answer this question openly without putting other people under threat.

-Do you agree that US allocation of over $ 3 mln for conduction of the upcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan is an interference with the internal affairs of our country?

-Certainly, I do not. Since signing the Helsinki acts, the issues of human rights are not the internal affair of each state. THis is an international-legal principle.

Moreover, the United States and other states and international organizations have allocated several billions of dollars for support of political and economic reforms in Azerbaijan through the years of independence.

There were also such programs during the previous elections. 90% of these amounts are used for improvement of the work of the Central Election Commissions and local district commissions, courts, police and others. Therefore, such announcement is merely unserious.

- Is the acute fight between opposition leaders for this amount possible?

-Such statements made by some people show either the lack of knowledge about the issue or the intention to speculate on this topic. Not a single cent from this amount is intended foe opposition. All programs are conducted by western NGOs and Azerbaijanis, representing both authorities and opposition play a role of just the trainings participants. Of course, there will be coffee breaks during the intervals, but I assure you no one intends to fight for a couple of cakes.

-What do you think about the idea of a single candidate? Is it possible that opposition will unite around it?

-The full unification of all opposition powers is not observed anywhere. But the significant part of opposition may and, I think, must unite. This can also occur during the election process, when chances of different candidates become clear. The most important is not to be so split as now on the voting day.

-What do you think of the decrease of the terms of the election campaign from four to two months?

-I disapprove it. The world practice really has samples of campaigns of 3 and 2 months but in those countries opposition may speak on TV channels and hold protests and meetings with voters for the whole year. Therefore, the reference to these countries is a mistake. Opposition gets minimum of rights in the period of election campaigns in Azerbaijan, therefore, I am against the reduction of the established terms.

-How many percents of votes will the opposition leaders, intending to participate in the presidential elections, be able to gain in the current realities?

-I have read the opinion of deputy from the Yeni Azerbaijan party on your website, who said I can take votes of opposition and become second after the president. I have also read the statement in the opposition press that I will gain votes of those, who have previously voted for the working powers. Future will show who is right.

-Whom do you consider to be your main opponents?

-The working president, of course.

/Day.Az/