Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani political blocs boycotting the October 15 presidential election have said they would not recognize the new government, claiming the upcoming election will not be conducted fairly.
"An election which lacks the conditions of free rivalry and proceeds without key candidates running cannot be considered a real one, and the authorities that are formed as a result cannot be deemed legitimate," the groups announced in a joint statement signed on Friday.
The opposition maintains that the pre-election climate in the country does not comply with the "minimum requirements" needed to hold a free and fair election. The opposition has said, further, that freedom of political activity is virtually non-existent in Azerbaijan, while political parties are facing numerous hurdles as freedom of assembly has, also, been essentially forbidden.
"It is impossible to conduct a normal election campaign based on free competition," the statement said.
The statement was co-signed by the heads of the Azerbaijan Liberal Party, Public Forum for Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, Musavat and the Civil and Development Party.
Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly said the election will be completely fair and that the opposition parties` boycott will have no impact on democratic elections.