Azernews.Az

President Ilham Aliyev has said there is already no room for "traditional opposition" in Azerbaijan's political arena.
Addressing a function dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party on Thursday, he said the space for the opposition's maneuvering has narrowed down due to the authorities' successful policy.
"What support do representatives of political forces who lack offices and work out of their homes hope for?" the president queried. "This is rather an illusion or an attempt to create a vision. The backing of some international organizations allows them to stay afloat. But instead of existing like that, it would rather be more worthwhile not to carry out political activity at all."
Aliyev said the number of those willing to vie with the authorities has been on downward path.
"We are witnessing this, and there is no longer any room for non-serious, provocative and unprofessional forces in Azerbaijan's political stage. The people have long said 'no' to these forces," the head of state said.
He recalled that during the most challenging times for the country, when it was about to lose statehood, the opposition abandoned it, and some leaders then gave up their duties, suspended activity or went into hiding. "As a result, the country plunged into an uncontrolled state. No one has forgotten that."
Head of the Inam Pluralism Center, Vahid Gazi, said such statements are due to the absence of civil relations between authorities and opposition. At the same time, he said the president's remarks had merit.
"If we set aside the tone of these utterances, there is truth to a certain extent in what the president said. This is acknowledged by the opposition in some interviews and events. The traditional opposition does not seem strong in comparison to the previous elections. The president's statement should be accepted as true," the analyst said.
Chairman of the Political Technologies Center, Anar Mammadli, said such statements are natural, as President Aliyev is one of the key runners-up for presidency at next year's poll.
"I agree that the political arena for the opposition has become slim. But the reason for this is not only the pro-government party's being more powerful than opposition parties. We have to admit that in the past two years one parliamentary election has been held and the pre-election climate was not democratic. The vote took place with numerous violations of human rights and freedoms. The narrowing room for the opposition's activity is due to its being unable to operate."