Anar Mamedkhanov: "Azerbaijan has transformed from an economic and political leader of the South Caucasus into a democratic leader in our region"

- How do you assess the results of elections held in Azerbaijan?

- We all have become witnesses of a stunning victory of working President Ilham Aliyev at a wonderfully arranged presidential election, meeting all demands in the sphere of democracy.

It was a kind of a know-how in the methodology of the electoral campaign that presidential candidate Ilham Aliyev has never appealed to voters with a request to vote for him. He merely reported about the work he had carried out. This was the most effective and sincere form of a dialogue with voters, when a candidate is favored for his real steps for the sake of Azerbaijan and each citizen of our country.

Activeness of voters and their voting mostly for the working president of Azerbaijan prove that the people of our country have highly evaluated Ilham Aliyev's activity on the post of the president and entrusted him the future of Azerbaijan for the next five years.

- Do you think the percentage of votes, gained by all other candidates for presidency, reflects the percentage of the citizens of our country, who are not satisfied with their living conditions?

- Unfortunately, two different terms protest electorate and opposition electorate are often confused. Transforming this confusion to the current situation, I would like to say that it is incorrect to say that opponents of working president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gained the votes of the whole protest electorate at the elections. There were citizens of Azerbaijan, who did not take part in the elections by some reasons.

It is possible that among them there are many people, who can be attributed to the protest electorate. It is normal, for even Robert Kennedy stated that a fifth part of the people is against everything.

As for opposition electorate, I think, its percentage equals to the percent of votes, given for all opponents of the working president of Azerbaijan. Otherwise, it can be said that our citizens, making up for the opposition electorate, have voted for Ilham Aliyev.

- How many votes could the opposition parties, boycotting elections, gain in case of participation?

- First of all, high activeness of voters during presidential elections demonstrated that the population of Azerbaijan has ignored the appeal of some opposition parties, urging to boycott elections. To a great pity of the leaders of our so-called radical opposition, the weather was fine in Azerbaijan on the voting day. Certainly, they can accuse Azerbaijan powers that good weather is profitable for them to ensure the activeness of the voters. But it seems that radical opposition has saved this argument for future. I think they will have sufficient grounds for explanation of their defeat at the upcoming municipal, parliamentary and again presidential elections.

But now we can state that the fight of this part of our opposition can only be held with their fellows in opposition movement, which is up to 10% of Azerbaijani population. This has a logical explanation: the leaders of our radical opposition resemble too much the hero of the famous work by Andre Moroir "Birth of a star", artist Pier Dusch. Moreover, the intellectual advantage of the working president of Azerbaijan over those, who is either in radical or constructive opposition, is high and the difference between the actions of the president of Azerbaijan for improvement of living conditions of each citizen and the office "activity" of those, who consider themselves to be "serious rivals for Ilham Aliyev" is also great. The society is sick and tired of the urges of the radical opposition, which tries to conceal its inability to struggle for democracy in our country under populism and appeals to boycott elections.

- Isn't there a threat that the powers, that have no real rivals among opposition, both radical and constructive, will not take into account the opinion of a part of the population of the country, we are attributing to opposition and protest electorate?

- There is no such a threat. The recent presidential elections have given the percentage reflection of the real advantage of working president of Azerbaijan over the representatives of the whole national opposition. In other words, through the past five years he has had all chances to break the principle of observing interests of Azerbaijan and interests of each citizen of our country, which is important for him.

The high percentage of votes in his favor proves my thesis and neutralizes possible threat, you are currently speaking about. Being confident about their legitimacy and people's support, the leadership of the country will never ignore people's rights. And working president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is confident about the support of his people.

- How do you see the next five years for Azerbaijan?

-The world witnessed total violations during presidential elections not only in the Russian outpost in the Caucasus - Armenia, but also in Georgia which has a label of a democratic country. The world saw that the powers of Armenia and Georgia use force and bloody suppression of protests as their own personal interpretation of of the word "democracy". The world witnessed that presidential elections in Azerbaijan were held openly, calmly with congratulations of the losing side to the winner, their recognition of their defeat and under applauds of all international observers.

Azerbaijan has transformed into an economic and political leader of the South Caucasus into a democratic leader in our region, which is a significant event and which is an evolutionary, not revolutionary victory of democracy, whose importance has repeatedly been stressed by working president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

I am confident that the next five years in the life of our country will be marked by the further democratization of our society, for construction of the civil society, formation of all components of economically and politically and culturally developed country, for rule of law, establishment of constructive relations between powers and opposition for observation of the national interests of Azerbaijan.

We also have all advantages in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Under Ilham Aliyev's leadership, Azerbaijan is conducting an almost ideal external policy, which will soon bring results. I am confident that Azerbaijan will liberate its lands soon.

/Day.Az/