(MENAFN- AzerNews)
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Elnur Enveroglu Read more
Western experts are increasingly interested in the processes as
the extraordinary presidential elections in Azerbaijan approach.
Many Political experts expressed a very positive attitude to the
preparatory works related to the elections. However, the main thing
that attracts public attention is the democratic and transparent
conduct of the presidential elections, as well as the attitude of
the opposition parties to the process.
Speaking to Azernews, Dr. Frank Musmar, a political journalist
from the state of Texas, USA, shared his views on the upcoming
presidential elections in Azerbaijan. When talking about President
Ilham Aliyev's candidacy he attracted particular attention by
touching on some important points.
“President Ilham Aliyev's popularity in Azerbaijan has recently
increased, reaching 75 percent of the population approval after the
government took complete control of the liberated Garabagh region,
representing a new era in the history of the country and succeeding
in turning a republic once thought of as a Soviet backwater into a
flourishing energy supplier to Europe,” doctor Musmar said.
He added that Azerbaijan, as the first post-Soviet country, is
holding presidential elections as a country that has fully secured
its territorial integrity.
“President Aliyev marked the 20th anniversary of his own time in
power, and marking the victory with a new election for the first
time in post-Soviet Azerbaijan in Garabagh is a perfect timing to
announce the official start of the new era. Conducting the
elections now will sum up this chronological period.
The upcoming election is necessary to represent the maturity of
the democratic system of Azerbaijan globally. It is the first time
an election has been held on the entire territory of Azerbaijan
with 6,320,500 registered voters, and a total number of 49 polling
stations has been set up in 37 countries; mobile voting boxes will
be set up to enable sick people and older people to vote during the
election process and ensure election transparency, 65,000 observers
from 19 political parties have been accredited to monitor the
election, and 512 international observers from 70 countries and 49
international organizations have been certified for the election,”
he said.
Saying that the elections are in accordance with democratic
rules, the US pundit added that the absence of the opposition in
the elections in the country damages the principles of
democracy.
“However, the opposition parties are all boycotting the race,
which is a wrong move that many opposition parties make globally.
If the opposition parties believe in Democracy, they should
participate and help electoral authoritarian regimes transform into
democracies because boycotting strategies tend to derail rather
than promote democratization,” he emphasised.
At the same time, Dr. Frank Musmar characterized the concept of
democracy in Azerbaijan through the eyes of the West. He also
compared the approach to democracy principles between the West and
Azerbaijan.
“Democratic elections are pivotal to a country's governance
quality and reflect the free expression of the people's will. In
Western societies, Democracy is considered liberal, a sovereign
democracy limited by a constitution that guarantees individual
freedoms and rights. However, these essential freedoms should not
be subject to a democratic vote. Moreover, Democracy does not have
to be liberal, and many nations today have illiberal democracies
where voting continues, but liberal characteristics, such as an
independent judiciary and free press, have been compromised.
Historically, and during Azerbaijan's first independent era,
Azerbaijan created the first parliament with 11 parties and
factions, including two Armenian factions within the parliament on
May 28, 1918. Moreover, Azerbaijan was the first functional
Democracy in the entire Muslim world and gave parity to women to
receive the right to vote in Baku before most European and American
countries.
Modern Azerbaijan society believes in Democracy, equal
opportunity, the right to access information, and the right to
association at the same level as the western democratic societies.
Moreover, the independence and vibrancy of its mass media always
protect transparency and fairness in elections. Azerbaijan
succeeded in creating a democratic system after a long era of a
Soviet-style political and economic system and foreign policy of
their creation.
In the end, the expert also touched on the economy of
Azerbaijan. He emphasized the efficiency of economic reforms in the
country in the last few years and added that the Azerbaijani
authorities managed to establish a balanced policy both in the
region where it exists and outside the region through a perfect
strategy.
“Azerbaijan has the largest population in the South Caucasus
region, and the fastest-growing economy in the world.
Geographically, it straddles the border between East and West,
enjoys positive relations with Turkey, Russia, the United States,
Israel, and the European Union, besides France, and possesses
essential oil and natural gas resources, which enhances its global
importance. Azerbaijan's budget has increased 30 times in the last
20 years, decreasing the poverty level in 2022 from 44.7 % to 5.5
%, increasing the average monthly salary 12 times from 45 $ to
543$, and increasing employment by 25 %, from 4 million people in
2017 to 5 million people in 2023. Moreover, the GDP of the non-oil
sector has grown 3.4 times, showing the success of diversification
of the macro-economy.
Azerbaijan's foreign policy is a delicate balance between
pursuing national interests, restoring territorial integrity, and
expanding its international influence. However, the ongoing global
competition over the hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian Sea and
the ambitions of regional powers to maintain influence in this
strategic location are always a challenge to foreign policies. The
country's cooperation with the United Nations programs, NATO
peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, public diplomacy
and education programs, and engagement on other non-sensitive
issues is winning foreign policies that are giving the country the
international community's support on its foreign policy objectives.
Maintaining military de-facto neutrality helps ensure Azerbaijan's
safety and alleviates potential pressures and risks from regional
powerhouses,” Dr concluded.
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