Daily Times

BAKU: Azerbaijani Reformist Youth Public Union Chairman Farid Shahbazli on Wednesday said that there is a fairly democratic environment in Azerbaijan as elections come close.

Speaking about the growing interest of public in presidential elections to be held on April 11, Shahbazli said that transparent elections are expected in the country and that the public’s great interest in the election process is a positive sign.

“All presidential candidates have the same conditions both during the registration process and during the campaign period,” the youth leader said with reference to transparency of the elections.

Shahbazli added that Azerbaijan, as a sovereign nation, has a significant role to play in the progress of the South Caucausus region. He said that elections in Azerbaijan are not only important to the region but for the entire world as the country is a significant stakeholder in a tense geopolitical atmosphere.

The youth leader also assessed chances of the candidates for the presidentship saying that the current head of state Ilham Aliyev is the strongest to bag the elections.

“Ilham Aliyev has helped Azerbaijan become politically more stable, while he has also worked for development of the country and has engineered a winning foreign policy. All surveys prove Ilham is the strongest candidate,” Shahbazli said.