The United States called for the government of Azerbaijan to ensure that this month\'s presidential election is free and fair but declined to comment on the likelihood of a father-to-son transfer of power. Sensitive to the issue given the facts of the current US presidency, the State Department refused to speak to the candidacy of Ilham Aliyev, whose father, Heidar, the current leader, announced his retirement on Thursday, clearing the way for his son to succeed him. \"The withdrawal of President Aliyev is an internal matter for Azerbaijan,\" spokesman Richard Boucher said. \"We look forward to free and fair presidential elections on October 15th,\" he told reporters. \"It\'s very important to us that these elections meet the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. \"We\'ve long made that clear and worked toward that end,\" Boucher said before testily answering a question about whether Washington would prefer to see an eight-year period in which an Aliyev was not president of the country. \"We don\'t pick people\'s candidates,\" Boucher snapped. \"We don\'t pick their candidates, we just ask that they hold free and fair elections. \"The voters of Azerbaijan should be allowed to decide who they want to vote for,\" he said. \"We don\'t have any problem with the voters of Azerbaijan deciding who they want to vote for.\" The ailing Heidar Aliyev announced his retirement on Thursday after more than three decades in power, annointing Ilham as his chosen successor. In a message to the nation issued from the U.S. clinic where he is being treated for heart failure, Aliyev said he was dropping out of the race and urged voters to back his son instead. (AFP)