"Muslim Unity" announces boycott of Azerbaijani presidential election

The Azerbaijani movement "Muslim Unity" has called on its supporters to boycott the upcoming presidential election.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the presidential election in Azerbaijan was scheduled for October 17, 2018. However, on February 5, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev appointed early elections on April 11, without presenting any reasons for the move. The opposition criticized this decision, explaining it by authorities' desire "to ease falsifications and not to allow the opposition to get properly prepared."

The boycott decision was taken by the "Muslim Unity" leaders and activists who are in jail, one of the authorized spokesmen of the movement told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"All the members of the movement's board are in prison; they were arrested after the law enforcers' operation in the village of Nardaran in November 2015," the source has reminded. The movement as such is today in fact in illegal status.

The boycott of the election is motivated by the fact that "there is no transparent election system and fair courts in the country," the movement's spokesman has stressed.

The movement calls on all its supporters to boycott the election: "We'll never put up with oppressions and will support every peaceful method of fighting against despotism," the spokesman of the "Muslim Unity" movement has concluded.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.