Azerbaijan is preparing for early parliamentary elections scheduled for September 1, 2024. Major political parties, including the opposition parties Musavat Party and the Republican Alternative (REAL) Party, have begun nominating their candidates, setting the stage for a significant electoral contest.

On July 8, the Musavat Party Council announced its candidates for 27 constituencies. Nominees include Gulaga Aslanli, the head of the party apparatus, and Nushaba Sadikhli, the former speaker of the Majlis. The party continues to discuss nominations for additional constituencies, with decisions expected in the coming days.

The REAL Party has also announced its candidates for 13 constituencies. Their list features central figures such as party leader Ilgar Mammadov, Political Committee member Natig Jafarli, former Milli Majlis deputy Erkin Gadirli, and lawyer Rasul Jafarov.

To register as candidates with the Central Election Commission, nominees must gather 400 voter signatures from their respective electoral districts.

The upcoming elections will fill all 125 seats in the Milli Majlis. This follows a parliamentary request for dissolution and early elections on June 21, which President Ilham Aliyev approved on June 28 by signing an order to hold elections on September 1.

The Musavat Party’s decision to participate in the elections has created internal debate. Tofig Yagublu, a Musavat Party and the National Council’s Coordination Center member, has expressed disapproval. Yagublu, currently imprisoned on charges of fraud and document forgery since December 2024, expressed his views through a Facebook post shared by his daughter, Nigar Hazi. He criticized the party’s decision to participate in the elections, citing concerns about political repression and limitations on fundamental freedoms.

Yagublu’s imprisonment has been a point of contention, with supporters arguing that the charges are politically motivated. He has faced multiple imprisonments related to his political activities, and his current sentence could extend up to 10 years.

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Athletics has always been a part of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF). The Annual AYF Olympic Games are almost as old as the organization. The Olympics is most definitely the centerpiece of AYF athletics, with the Basketball National Championships firmly in second place.

In the early days of the AYF, there was often a page, or at minimum, a column dedicated to sports in every issue of the Armenian Weekly. One of the most surprising articles that I have come across while digging into the Weekly archives was in the December 11, 1952 issue. It was in a column titled “WEEKLY Sports Round Up with Al Parseghian.” This particular article was titled “A Strike” and covered AYF Bowling, which apparently was a thing back in the 1940s and 50s. Per Al Parseghian:

Bowling, which has definitely come a long way during the past decade, is one of the MAJOR sports on the AYF athletic program that is still traveling in high gear. From a trial beginning in its early stages back in 1941, a gradual improvement can be noted each year building up to a record peak of interest in 1947-48. Bowling is actually the only sport in the AYF that links both sexes in a match against opposing chapters.

AYF Bowling was indeed a thing. It was definitely a New England thing. They bowled both duckpins and candlepins. Candlepins are a uniquely New England and Canadian (maritime provinces) variant that was a predecessor to the much more popular duckpin style. The chapters mentioned in the article were Boston, Brockton, Franklin, Lawrence, Pawtucket, Providence, Springfield, Watertown, Whitinsville and Worcester.

Whitinsville won the first tournament in 1941. In 1944, Brockton, led by Massis Baker, Johnny Boyajian and Aaron Kalaijian, “stepped forward as a bowling powerhouse.” Watertown won in the 1944 tournament, which marked “the first athletic award in the chapter’s history.” The bowlers mentioned in the article include Buddy Babigian, Virginia Dostourian, Bernice Paloulian and Peewee Yegsigian of Worcester. There was also Frannie Sermanian and Vartkes Takesian of the Lawrence Vartanantz Chapter and Paul Piligian from Springfield. Franklin was represented by Charles Dayian, Herky Ecknaian, Garo Yergadian and Peter Moomjian, “one of the two AYF boys killed in the Korean Conflict.”

What drew me to this article was the photo. It was of Dick Kazanjian, my father’s closest AYF friend and one of the nicest people I have ever known. We called him Uncle Dickie. In the photo, he was in candlepin bowling form, looking as good as any professional. The caption reads, “Dick Kazanjian: He set an AYF record in candlepin by bowling a 148 string in 1947.” It seems like a low score, but I have come to learn that candlepin scores are markedly lower than those of duckpins. I was totally unaware that Uncle Dickie was a bowling star in the AYF. It wasn’t just me — his own daughters Lisa and Jill were equally surprised and unaware of his bowling prowess.

Uncle Dickie’s parents named him Dikris and his older brother Yeprad (who went by Edward) for the famous rivers of the “old country.” Edward died in 1944 while fighting in World II. When I think of Edward and Peter Moomjian, who both died serving the United States, I can only imagine how hard it was for their parents, who survived the Genocide only to lose a son 20 years later.

I would love to know more about AYF Bowling. How were things organized? Was it a league over several weeks, a weekend tournament or both? How did they decide on the mix between candlepin versus duckpin games? Were there set rules for this, or was it the home chapter’s call?

I never would have known about AYF Bowling without diving into the archives. Consider subscribing and taking a look for yourself!

Author information

Mark Gavoor

Mark Gavoor is Associate Professor of Operations Management in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management at North Park University in Chicago. He is an avid blogger and oud player.

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