The storm had already claimed the lives of at least two people in China's Hainan and 16 people in the Philippines
Not surprisingly, the opposition Azadlyq bloc has challenged the results accusing the regime of President Ilham Aliyev of rigging the poll. Western observers too say the poll did not meet international standards. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which sent 660 observers, has condemned irregularities in voting and vote counting.
Azerbaijan has emerged as yet another test of the US commitment to democracy and freedom. The oil-rich Muslim country is one of the many close allies of the United States in the region. This is why the Azerbaijan vote has been closely watched and monitored by the Western media and observers. The Sunday vote is indeed a test of US President George W Bush himself and his lofty claims to champion democracy, freedom and human rights in the Muslim world. The self-styled champion of freedom and democracy, who never tires of arguing that God has made Man free, has been put on trial in this election.
The Azerbaijan vote tests whether Bush really means what he says when he holds forth on the perils of tyranny and dictatorship and how he wants the seeds of freedom and democracy sown across the globe, especially in Muslim world. Azerbaijan, like other authoritarian regimes in the region and elsewhere in the Muslim world, tests the US leader’s seriousness and sincerity in pursuing political reforms even when they don’t seemingly favour American interests or the interests of friendly regimes.
The storm had already claimed the lives of at least two people in China's Hainan and 16 people in the Philippines
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Traffic will be diverted to the opposite side during this period