The Liberal Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (LDPA) is also known as the Liberal Democrat Party of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan Election Watch 30 Sept.-10 Oct. 2000; Azerbaijan Daily Digest 16 Nov. 2001) and the Azerbaijan Liberal-Democratic Party (ALDP) (ANS 22 Nov 2000; Azerbaijan Election Watch 12 Sept. 2000). According to azeronline.com, the party was formed on 30 January 1999 and was registered on 9 July 1999 (azeronline.com n.d.).

On 22 November 2000, the Azerbaijani television station ANS reported that the LDPA was formed as a result of a "split in the Liberal Party [ALP] headed by Lala Shovkat Hajiyeva... [and that her] deputy, Zakir Mammadov, became its chairman" (22 Nov. 2000). Earlier sources refer to Mammadov [Mamedov] as "the Liberal Party's deputy-chairman" (RFE/RL Features 17 Mar. 1998), as "the leader of the Liberal Party" (NIS Observed. 23 July 1997) and as LDPA "vice-chairman" (azeronline.com n.d.). Mammadov died 15 December 2000 when the building holding the LDPA offices collapsed after being damaged by earthquakes in November 2000 (RFE/RL Newsline 18 Dec. 2000; Assa-Irada 15 Dec. 2000).

Prior to Mammadov's death, ANS reported that the LDPA itself had split into two factions. According to ANS,

The party's deputy chairman, Fuad Aliyev, left its ranks and announced the establishment of the Party for National Reconciliation [Russian: Partiya Natsionalnogo Primireniya]. He said this step was motivated by the unsatisfactory activities of the Azerbaijani Liberal Democratic Party chairman. Fuad Aliyev, who resigned together with six other members of the party's board, is accusing Zakir Mammadov and the organization headed by him of lacking any concrete stance. To date, there has been no answer to the question of whether the Azerbaijani Liberal Democratic Party is in the opposition or progovernment camp, he noted. In turn, the chairman of the Azerbaijani Liberal Democratic Party, Zakir Mammadov, said that Fuad Aliyev had left the party on the basis of handing in his own notice, and that no-one but him had left the party. He said that it was a normal and natural thing in politics for people's stances not to coincide. As for the stance of the Azerbaijani Liberal Democratic Party itself, Zakir Mammadov said that it was right-of-centre (22 Nov. 2000).

Following Mammadov's death, Aliyev [Aliev] rejoined the LDPA and was elected its Chairman at the party's 2001 congress (Assa-Irada 15 Sept. 2001).

As azeronline.com notes in their biography of Mammadov that the LDPA had 23 regional organizations operating within the republic (n.d.). According to Assa-Irada (Azerbaijan International Independent News Agency), the party's congress of 14 September 2001 drew 150 delegates from 39 regional organizations (15 Sept. 2001). In June 2001, Aliyev claimed a membership of 5,700 (ibid. 6 June 2001). According to polling results released in advance of the 2000 Parliamentary election, party support was between 3 and 3.5 per cent (Azerbaijan Election Watch 14 Sept. 2000).

"The aim of the LDPA is building [an] AR [Azerbaijan Republic] independent democratic state on the basis of human values, the standards of international law and scientific achievements of world civilization" according to Mammadov's biography (azeronline.com n.d.). LDPA Chairman Aliyev highlighted Wahabism, as threatening to "jeopardize the sovereignty and democratic development" of Azerbaijan (Assa-Irada 18 June 2001). Assad-Irada quotes Aliyev as saying "seeing that they can get away unpunished, Wahabists continue contaminating young people" (ibid. 4 July 2001). He was also expressed concern over undue Russian influence in Azerbaijani affairs, viewing the Russian Duma's 2001 "decision to accept interested countries and their subjects into the Russian Federation" as "proof of Moscow's support for separatism in the CIS" (ibid.).

Under Aliyev, the coalition agreement signed with the Civil Solidarity Party and agreements with the People's Front of Azerbaijan Party (PFAP) suggest that he has moved the LDPA into the opposition (ibid. 12 Sept. 2001; Azerbaijan Daily Digest 20 Nov. 2001). The Research Directorate was unable to find further or more specific information on the platform of the LDPA within the time constraints of this Response.

In 2000, former Chairman Mammadov was refused registration for the parliamentary elections by the Regional Election Commission after it declared 407 of his 2300 nomination signatures invalid (Azerbaijan Election Watch 20 Sept-10 Oct. 2000). RFE/RL Newsline reported 25 September 2000 that the LDPA had "raised with Azerbaijan's Court of Appeal, the Central Electoral Commission's refusal to register the party to contend...." Since that time, several LDPA candidates have received permission to run in parliamentary bi-elections (Assa-Irada 18 Dec. 2001; Azerbaijan Bulletin 15 Nov. 2001; Azerbaijan Daily Digest 16 Nov. 2001; ibid 22 Jan. 2002).

No information on the treatment of party members or their families by authorities could be found among sources consulted within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

ANS [Baku, in Azeri]. 22 November 2000. Lala Gafarly and Emil Babakhanov. "TV Reports Split in Opposition Party, New Party Formed." (BBC Monitoring Service 24 Nov. 2000 NEXIS)

Assa-Irada [Baku]. 18 December 2001. "Central Election Commission Approves 2 Candidates." http://www.bakupages.com/pubs/ai/20011218_007_en.asp [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

_____. 15 September 2001. "Liberal Democrats Convene for Congress." http://www.bakupages.com/pubs/ai/20010915_007_en.asp [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

_____. 12 September 2001. "Civil Solidarity Party, Liberal Democratics Sign Co-Op Agreement." http://www.bakupages.com/pubs/ai/20010912_005_en.asp [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

_____. 4 July 2001. "ALDP Leader Thinks Wahabism Threatens Azerbaijan Statehood." http://www.bakupages.com/pubs/ai/20010704_003_en.asp [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

_____. 18 June 2001. "ALDP Leader Alarmed with the Spread of Wahabi Threat." http://www.bakupages.com/pubs/ai/20010618_007_en.asp [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

_____. 6 June 2001. "Liberal Democrats Getting Ready for First Congress" http://www.bakupages.com/pubs/ai/20010606_007_en.asp [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

_____. 15 December 2000. "Quake Aftereffects (sic)." http://www.bakupages.com/pubs/ai/20001215_004_en.asp [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

Azerbaijan Bulletin. 15 November 2001. No. 42 (296). "Additional Elections to Milli Mejlis to be Held on November 16." http://www.andf-az.org/3noyabr2001i.html [Accessed 26 Feb. 2002].

Azerbaijan Daily Digest 22 January 2002 "Began Preparation for the Additional Elections: Democratic Congress will not Attend Elections (sic)." (ADCB) Hosted by eurasianet.org. http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/azerbaijan/hypermail/200201/0054.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

_____. 16 November 2001. No. 39. "Second Elections are Hold Today (sic)." (ADCB) Hosted by eurasianet.org. http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/azerbaijan/hypermail/200111/0045.html [Accessed 26 Feb. 2002]

_____. 20 November 2001. "Azeri Political Experts for Opposition Consolidation, but Skeptical." (BBC Monitoring/Turan News Agency) http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/azerbaijan/hypermail/200111/0059.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

Azerbaijan Election Watch. 30 September-10 October 2000. "Electoral Violations Reported to the Azerbaijan Electoral Rights Protection Forum." (Hot Line Report) http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/election/azerbaijan/report1004.shtml [Accessed 26 Feb. 2002]

_____. 14 September 2000. "Azeri Poll Shows Vast Majority Believe in Ruling Party Victory in Elections." (BBC Monitoring Service/Dovran) http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/election/azerbaijan/baz091400.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

Azeronline.com. n.d. "Zakir Mamedov" http://www.azeronline.com/wiw/mamedovzakir.htm [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

NIS Observed [Boston]. 23 July 1997. 30 June 1997. Vol. II No. 13. "Aliev's 'Campaign' Begins." (Turan News Agency) http://www.bu.edu/iscip/digest/vol2/ed13.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002].

RFE/RL Features. 17 March 1998. Jolyon Naegele. "Azerbaijan: Presidential Candidates Hold Little Hope for Fair Vote." http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/1998/03/f.ru.980317131230.html [Accessed 26 Feb. 2002]

RFE/RL Newsline. 18 December 2000. Vol. 4 No. 243"Azerbaijani Oppositionist Killed as Earthquake-Damaged Building Collapses." http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2000/12/181200.asp [Accessed 26 Feb. 2002]

_____. 26 September 2000. "Azerbaijani Opposition Party Appeals Ban on Election Participation." http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2000/09/260900.asp [Accessed 25 Feb. 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

Countries of the World (2000-2002)

People in Power (2002)

Political Handbook of the World (1999-2000)

Worldwide Government Directory (2000-2001)

IRB Databases

NEXIS

Internet sites including

Amnesty International

Azerbaijan International (Baku)

Azeri News (Baku)

Eurasia.net

Human Rights Watch

Johnson's Russia List

Liberal Democratic Party

NIS Observed

Open Society Institute

RFE/RL

RFE/RL Azerbaijan Report

Transcaucasus: A chronology (to October 2000; incomplete)

Internet search engines

Google.com

Yahoo.com