Angry Azeris protest allegedly faked results of parliamentary elections

Wednesday, November 9, 2005 Thousands of protestors demonstrated today in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. They left their houses due to unrest over the results of the November 6 parliamentary elections, which, according to the opposition, are faked. The protest lasted about three hours before being shut down.

The protest gathered some 15,000 people, but the opposition hoped to gather 30,000 to 50,000 Azeris. Many people were stopped by police on their way to the outskirts of Baku. The main demonstration took place at Gelebe Square. When rioters tried to enlarge the protest, police used force to stop them.

Some Azeris believe that a "three hour revolution" wouldn't change anything in the country. They believe that the demonstration was controlled by the government.

The November 6 elections, won, according to officials, by the governing New Azerbaijan Party, have been condemned by international organizations, such as The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and by independent observers. The Council of Europe reports that results in about 43% of polling stations were faked.

To prevent protests, re-runs were ordered in two districts by election officials. Also, one recount will take place.

Sources

"Thousands join Azerbaijan protest" — BBC News, November 9, 2005
"Observers condemn Azeri election" — BBC News, November 7, 2005
Wojciech Jagielski. "Azerbejdżan: rewolucja od trzeciej do szóstej" — Gazeta Wyborcza, November 9, 2005

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