Baku News

23.10.2005 16:28 MSK MosNews - The 88th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution has been penciled in as the date for a coup d'etat in Azerbaijan, Fuad Akhundov, political studies chief of the presidential administration's department for social and political issues, told Interfax on Sunday. "Today's unauthorized opposition rally, which will of course be dispersed, is one in a series of recent rehearsals for the staging of a coup d'etat, set for early November 7 — a revolution which our opposition calls 'orange' for easy reference," Akhundov said. The Azadlyg opposition coalition is trying to accomplish an orange revolution with methods employed by the Bolsheviks during the 1917 October Revolution, he said. "If it is a success, they will make November 7 a red-letter day in Azerbaijan again, even though Russia has given up this holiday," Akhundov said. "The opposition must understand that Bolshevism will not be accepted today. The country is ruled by law and there is no chaos as in 1917. One can gain power only if supported by a majority of citizens. It is a tenet of democracy," he continued. "In an attempt to shift responsibility for the aftermath of the coup over to authorities, the opposition is saying that if the authorities falsify elections returns, it will have no choice but to use force. Though even an ordinary user of the Internet is familiar with the revolution rhetoric being practiced by the opposition," the official said. "Over the two years of Ilham Aliyev's presidency and in Heydar Aliyev's time as president not a single opinion poll gave the opposition so much as a 20% rating. The opposition, however, claims it will win in 70% of electoral districts, even though Azadlyg's current rating is 6% and that of the entire opposition around about 12%. Obviously, such a result can only be achieved through vote rigging," said Akhundov. "The Azeri authorities will not tolerate vote-rigging, while objective election returns must not differ greatly from the outcome of numerous opinion polls, conducted by local and foreign pollsters," he said. The leaders of Azadlyg's member parties Ali Kerimli of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan, Isa Gambar of Musavat and Rasul Guliyev of the Democratic Party Rasul Guliyev held the posts of, respectively, state secretary and parliamentary speakers at different times.