The death of Alexei Navalny undoubtedly caused a great uproar around the world. Several different views have been circulating, but no official statement has been made yet.

What do Azerbaijani politicians think about this event?

Ednews surveyed party chairmen and deputies:

Tural Abbasli, the chairman of the White Party:

"This event, of course, is one of the events that will negatively affect the near future of Russia. Because when we look at the last few years, we can see that there are significant delays in cultivating an alternative to Putin in Russian society. Though Navalny was a globally recognized internal anti-Putin opposition leader. His death will greatly slow down Russia's progress towards democracy. Time will tell how this will take place now. But anyone who knows what kind of leader Putin is and how he manages knows that this may not be a coincidence. In any case, this is a huge blow to democracy. With the death of several leaders such as Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny, there is currently a lack of potential leaders. There is no one to gather the opposite opinion."

Sardar Celaloglu, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan:

"This death of Navalny is not the first political murder in Russia. Similarly, businessmen and employees of special agencies who opposed Putin were killed regardless of where they were in the world. This is a very characteristic event for modern Russia. Of course, Navalny was one of the key pivotal leaders and a symbol at the head of the opposition to Putin. Through his speeches and appeals, mass movements and actions were held in different cities of Russia. This process was also developing day by day and had the opportunity to influence the upcoming presidential elections in Russia. Therefore, I consider it a political murder. The refusal to provide his body or vague information surrounding the incident indicates that it was a murder. Of course, I think here, the main goal was to prevent a potential nationwide movement before the presidential elections. I believe that following Navalny, a more serious leader like him, who can oppose Putin, through his and formal leaders’ deaths, will lead to the rise of a certain democratic community in Russia. Unfortunately, a totalitarian mindset prevails in Russia. The fact that people there, are addicted to excessive drinking and are apolitical, creates a great obstacle to democracy. As a result, I can say that with the active support of the West, it is likely that the people found guilty of Navalny's murder will be punished and Russia will become democratic."

Razi Nurullayev, the chairman of the National Front party and deputy:

"There are several serious views surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny. Although the fact does not change, he is no longer there. He worked hard to gather Russian citizens around him, manage political processes, and change the power in the country. Along the way, I would say, he took a lot of risks, he turned into a populist with the praise of few people, which caused him to lose his sense of reality. And he paid the price with his life. I am very saddened by his death. He was a fearless and very skilled politician. His death is also a lesson. The Russian president has a high rating in his country, but he cannot stay in power if the people do not want him. The reality is that he can get at least 50% of the votes. It is not necessary to stay away from the real situation and politics. If there is no mass support, going into the fire is a wrong move. Politics is about doing what is possible. Any politician who wants to do more than possible achieves no results. In the end, I want to emphasize once again that I am saddened by the death of Alexei Navalny."

Akbar Novruz