On October 17, the founding congress of a new party – PDW (Party for Democracy and Welfare), created on the basis of the same name Movement “For Democracy and Welfare”, was held.

The congress adopted the Charter and Program of the party, elected its chairman and members of the Control and Auditing Commission, and formed the Supreme Assembly.

A researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Professor Gubad Ibadoglu, who headed the Movement “For Democracy and Prosperity”, was elected chairman of the party. The formation of the rest of the party’s governing bodies will take place in the near future at a meeting of the Supreme Assembly. What is the purpose and ideology of the new party?

The chairman of the party, Gubad Ibadoglu, answered these and other questions in the “Difficult Question” program.

According to him, the PDW was created on the basis of the Movement “For Democracy and Welfare”, established on February 21, 2015. During its activity, the Movement expressed its position on certain burning issues, social economic and political life of the country, organized discussions, prepared concepts. Considering that in Azerbaijan the environment for the functioning of a public organization and a political party is identical – limited, subject to repression and persecution, and at the same time, the country’s legislation and the Constitution provide for a wider scope of activities for parties than for public organizations, as well as the hope that that in the foreseeable future a proportional system will be introduced at the parliamentary elections, we made a decision to transform the movement into a party with the aim of closer and more active participation in political life.

Touching upon the issue of the complexity of online leadership of the party’s activities (Gubad Ibadoglu currently resides in London), the chairman of the PDW admitted that the lack of direct contact complicates party work. However, in his opinion, this situation has its positive sides – firstly, the safety of the chairman of the organization is ensured, and secondly, his independence, since there is no way to exert pressure.

As for the possibility of turning the PDW into a “theater of one actor” (in the person of the party chairman), as happened with the majority of parties in Azerbaijan, in the opinion of Gubad Ibadoglu, his organization will be able to avoid such a fate. Since the PDW was created on the basis of the democratic Movement of Azerbaijan. The organization has 48 structures in the country, of which 2 have a republican level – these are organizations of youth and women. Our organization has thousands of members. The party has many supporters in the developed countries of the world. Among them are business people, scientists, students. This is the party’s cadre potential. It is also indicative, according to him, that 82 out of 88 delegates took part in the work of the PDW congress.

According to Gubad Ibadoglu, PDW is a party that is committed to liberal values.

Source: Turan News Agency