AZERBAIJANI AMBASSADOR TO U.S. PROTESTS NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE
Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States Yashar Aliyev has sent a letter to New York Times editor to protest against the article “Seeking a Path in Democracy’s Dead End” the newspaper had published on February 3, 2008.
The letter says: “The characterization of Azerbaijan’s 2005 parliamentary elections (“Cutting Deals in Democracy’s Dead End,” Week in Review, Feb. 3) did not point out the significant strides that our country has made in its democratic evolution, a path we have chosen to follow since gaining our independence just 17 years ago.
To clarify, President Ilham Aliyev issued two orders in 2005 calling on election officials to obey election laws and lifted a ban on public demonstrations. The government also fully supported the use of exit polls and the inking of voters’ fingers to prevent the practice of double-voting, both of which were historic firsts for the country.
Moreover, when the government learned of voting irregularities in 10 districts, it took the unprecedented step of annulling those ballots and holding new elections in those areas, as well as dismissing from their posts the officials responsible.
The road to democracy is a process, and Azerbaijan views it not as a “dead end” but as a doorway through which we step willingly.”
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