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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Azerbaijan Opposition Holds Protest Rally |
| 2005-11-20 |
| BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) - Thousands of people gathered in a Baku square Saturday as Azerbaijan's opposition parties protested against disputed parliamentary elections - the latest rally in a campaign that has made little headway. A crowd of around 15,000 rallied as speakers denounced alleged fraud in the Nov. 6 elections, which kept control of the 125-seat legislature firmly in the hands of the ruling party. Opposition parties obtained only 10 seats, according to official results. ``It is only now that the struggle for free elections has begun,'' said Ali Kerimli, leader of the Popular Front, one of the parties in the Azadliq opposition bloc. Saturday's crowd was smaller than the one at a previous rally about a week earlier, which attracted some 20,000. Holding orange flags and wearing orange scarves, inspired by last year's successful Orange Revolution in Ukraine, demonstrators chanted: ``Resign!'' and ``Freedom to the nation, freedom to the people!'' International observers have said the polls below democratic standards, but Western countries concerned about stability in the oil-rich Caspian Sea state bordering Iran have not endorsed opposition demands for repeat elections. Faced with an authoritarian government led by President Ilham Aliev, who succeeded his long-ruling father in 2003, the opposition has failed to capitalize on resentment over corruption that has helped keep more than 40 percent of people in poverty despite the former Soviet republic's oil wealth. |
| Posted by:Steve White |