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| Caucasus | |
| More Protests Over Azerbaijan Appointment | |
| 2003-08-09 | |
| Police in the Azerbaijani capital dispersed a rally Friday by government opponents protesting the appointment of President Geidar Aliev’s son to the prime minister post, participants said. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
"He’s not dead yet!" Aliev’s son, Ilham, was named prime minister Monday — making him the country’s second-highest ranking leader and first in the line of presidential succession. Opposition officials claim that Ilham Aliev is maneuvering to take over leadership of the tiny, oil-rich Caucasus nation if his father dies. Opposition parties gathered outside the Constitutional Court on Friday to criticize Ilham Aliev’s appointment and to call for clear information about Aliev’s health. "He’s get-ting better!" Police broke up the rally and arrested seven participants, all members of the opposition party Musavat. Aliev, a former KGB official and Soviet-era leader of Azerbaijan, was elected president in 1993, two years after the nation became independent. Meanwhile, another rally by the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan was broken up by police carrying truncheons. Authorities detained 10 participants as they attempted to march near the Central Election Commission to demand free and fair elections. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 Yes, but they accidentally turned him into a newt... I'm sure the democratically minded people of Azerbaijan would love to have their own Newt... 8^) |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-8-9 10:13:43 PM |
| #7 Watcher - another COFFEE ALERT!!! |
| Posted by: ·com 2003-8-9 9:10:38 PM |
| #6 Wasn't Papa in Turkey last week getting treated? Yes, but they accidentally turned him into a newt... |
| Posted by: Watcher 2003-8-9 9:00:15 PM |
| #5 Fred? Feeling pretty good today, huh? I can tell...LOL |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-9 6:18:50 PM |
| #4 " Todays top story is the debate in Afghanistan. Pro-taliban members argued that hanging chads ballots, most of which were made by crack-addicted radicalist, should be counted as legal votes. To furthur argue there point, machine gun fire and RPG's were fired inside the Kandahar Court House. " In other news, the government has requested that family members come and claim the bodies from the rubble of the collapsed Kandahar Court House. The cause for the collapse is still unknown. " |
| Posted by: Charles 2003-8-9 3:54:43 PM |
| #3 You bring up a good point, Frank. If we're ever actually going to establish world hegemony, the RNC and the (eewww!) DNC should probably be establishing international committees and opening branches in places like this. It'd be more comforting to the rest of the world to have them arguing with each other over whether gay marriage should be mandatory than having them go to war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Though I hate to think of the effect of hanging chads on Afghanistan... |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-8-9 12:56:06 PM |
| #2 Wasn't Papa in Turkey last week getting treated? |
| Posted by: Michael 2003-8-9 12:08:55 PM |
| #1 Go figure - the Democratic Party in Azerbaijan is demanding free and fair elections, and gets beat with truncheons.... meanwhile the Democratic Party in Texas flees to adjacent states to avoid voting and gets to dine in buffets, live in air- conditioned splendor and get feted by their party at home as martyrs.....kinda ironic, huh? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-9 10:54:39 AM |