By empty (7/18/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Azerbaijan\'s Central Election Commission met on 18 July and formally certified the candidacy of President Heidar Aliev for re-election in the October presidential election. Commission officials dismissed 1,256 of the nearly 52,000 signed petitions in support of the candidacy before registering the incumbent president as the candidate of the \"Yeni Azerbaican\" Party. (ANS).