1.
Azerbaijan
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Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a country in the South Caucasus region, situated at the crossroads of Southwest Asia and Southeastern Europe. It is bound by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west and Iran to the south. The exclave of Nakhchivan is bound by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence in 1918 and became the first democratic state in the Muslim orient world. The country was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920 as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, the modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on 30 August 1991, prior to the official dissolution of the USSR in December 1991. In September 1991, the Armenian majority of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region seceded to form the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the region and seven adjacent districts outside it became de facto independent with the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994. These regions are recognized as part of Azerbaijan pending a solution to the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan is a unitary semi-presidential republic, the country is a member state of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the NATO Partnership for Peace program. It is one of six independent Turkic states, a member of the Turkic Council. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 158 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations and it is one of the founding members of GUAM, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Its term of office began on 19 June 2006, Azerbaijan is also a member state of the Non-Aligned Movement, holds observer status in World Trade Organization and is a correspondent at the International Telecommunication Union. The Constitution of Azerbaijan does not declare an official religion and all political forces in the country are secularist. However, the majority of the population are of a Shiite Muslim background, Azerbaijan has a high level of human development which ranks on par with most Eastern European countries. It has a rate of economic development and literacy, as well as a low rate of unemployment. According to the Davos World Economic Forum, Azerbaijans economy has scored 37th place within 138 countries in 2016, Global Competitiveness Index 2015 indicates that Azerbaijan scores highest in its region. ASAN services, established with Presidential Decree, are known for eliminating bribery. ASAN Service has been awarded with United Nations Public Service Award 2015, the ruling party, the New Azerbaijan Party, has been accused of authoritarianism and human rights abuses. The original etymology of name is thought to have its roots in the once-dominant Zoroastrianism. In the Avesta, Frawardin Yasht, there is a mention of âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide, the name Atropates itself is the Greek transliteration of an Old Iranian, probably Median, compounded name with the meaning Protected by the Fire or The Land of the Fire
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Politics of Azerbaijan
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Executive power is exercised by the president and the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, the Judiciary is nominally independent of the executive and the legislature. Following a massacre of Azerbaijanis at Khojali in Nagorno-Karabakh in March 1992, Mutalibov resigned, among its reforms, the PFP dissolved the predominantly Communist Supreme Soviet and transferred its functions to the 50-member upper house of the legislature, the National Council. Elections in June 1992 resulted in the selection of PFP leader Abulfaz Elchibey as the second president. During the summer of 1992, Elchibey secured the withdrawal of the Soviet army from Azerbaijan. At the same time, Elchibeys government established the national Caspian Navy, Elchibey was formally deposed by a national referendum in August 1993, and Aliyev was elected to a 5-year term as President in October with only token opposition. Aliyev won re-election to another 5-year term in 1998, in an election marred by serious irregularities, the Speaker of Parliament stood next in line to the President, but the constitution was changed at the end of 2002, now the premier is next in line. This was done to make it possible for the son of the 80-year-old Heydar, İlham Aliyev to succeed his father, in the October 2003 presidential elections, İlham Aliyev was announced winner while international observers reported several irregularities. He was sworn in as president at the end of the month, the head of state and head of government are separate from the country’s law-making body. President is the head of the state and head of executive branch, the people elect the president, the Vice President is appointed by the President and the Prime Minister is nominated by the President and confirmed by the National Assembly of Azerbaijan. The President appoints all cabinet-level government administrators, since 2008, the Constitution of Azerbaijan was amended, abolishing any term limit for the office of President. The National Assembly of Azerbaijan is the branch of government in Azerbaijan. The assembly is headed by the Speaker of Milli Majlis assisted by the First Deputy Speaker, ogtay Asadov is the current speaker of the assembly, Ziyafet Asgarov is the First Deputy Speaker and, Bahar Muradova and Valeh Alasgarov are deputy speakers. Azerbaijan is considered a one party dominant state, opposition parties against the New Azerbaijan Party are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power. In the 2010 parliamentary elections, the ruling New Azerbaijan Party strengthened its grasp on the legislative, President Ilham Aliyevs ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party got a majority of 72 out of 125 seats. The other seats went to independent, government-leaning candidates. The two major parties lost their previous 8 seats, thus resulting in an opposition-free Parliament. The Central Election Commission said turnout was 50. 1%, out of a total 4.9 million people eligible to vote, opposition leaders suggested the low turnout was due to candidate disqualifications by the CEC, and consequent discouragements to vote after their choice of candidate was excluded
3.
Constitution of Azerbaijan
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The Constitution of Azerbaijan was adopted on 12 November 1995 by popular referendum. It was amended on 24 August 2002 and again on 18 March 2009 and it carries the highest legal force in Azerbaijan as per article 147. It also bans the usurpation of power, section 2 establishes the basic principles, aims and role of the state of Azerbaijan, as well as state symbols, principles of foreign relations and the official language. Section 5 establishes the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, its powers, section 6 establishes the post of President of Azerbaijan and the Presidents requirements, duties, capacities and powers, as well as those of his Cabinet. Section 7 establishes the Azerbaijani judicial system and Constitutional and Supreme Courts, section 8 establishes the autonomous government of the Nakhichivan region and its legislature. Section 9 establishes the structure of municipalities in Azerbaijan. Section 11 establishes the process of amending the Constitution through referendum, section 12 establishes the process of adding provisions to the Constitution through referendum. Constitution Constitutional law Constitutional economics Constitutionalism English translation of the Constitution on Presidential website Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan at www. WIPO. int
4.
President of Azerbaijan
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The country of Azerbaijan is a semi-presidential republic, with the President of Azerbaijan as the head of state, and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan as head of government. The current President of Azerbaijan is Ilham Aliyev, the president rules through his office at Presidential Apparatus, consisting of a group of secretaries and departmental ministers. Additionally, there is a Cabinet of Ministers and a Security Council, among the agencies directly subordinate to the President is the Special State Protection Service. A candidate for office must be a citizen of Azerbaijan at least 35 years old, the election of the President is mainly regulated by the Presidential Election Law and the Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights. Each faction in the National Assembly has the right to nominate a candidate for the presidential elections, the minimum number of signatures for a presidential candidate fielded by a political party with no parliamentary representation is 40,000, before amendments to the law. After the oath of office has been taken by the elected president and these devices are used to display the rank of his office and are used on special occasions. The standard is a version of the Azerbaijani flag, charged in the center with the Azerbaijani coat of arms. Golden fringe is added to the standard, copies of the standard are used inside his office, other state agencies, and while the president is traveling in a vehicle inside Azerbaijan. A2,3 ratio version of the flag is used when the President is at sea and this is the most used symbol to denote the presence of the Azerbaijan President. The President is invested with extensive rights to implement the states foreign policy, the President determines Azerbaijans position in international affairs and represents the state in international relations, conducts negotiations and signs ratification documents. The primary working Presidents residence is the The Presidential building on Istiglaliyyat Street in Baku, the current home Presidents residence is Zagulba. Also, the President has several vacation residences outside of Baku, Novkhani, Novkhani, Absheron Rayon Khoshbulaq, Daşkəsən, Dashkasan District National transport services for the Azerbaijan President are provided by the Special Purpose Garage. The SPG is a unit within the Special State Protection Service
5.
Ilham Aliyev
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Ilham Aliyev is the fourth and current President of Azerbaijan, in office since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party, Aliyev was born was born in December 24,1961, in Baku. In 1977, Aliyev entered the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, in 1985 he received a PhD degree in history. From 1985 to 1990 Aliyev lectured at MSUIR, from 1991 to 1994, he led a group of private industrial-commercial enterprises. In 1994-2003, he was the vice-president, and later the first vice-president of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan and he had been actively involved in the implementation of Heydar Aliyev’s oil strategy. He is an author of research works on geopolitical aspects of oil strategy of sovereign Azerbaijan. He holds a degree of doctor of political sciences, since 1997, Mr. Ilham Aliyev is the President of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan. Ilham Aliyev married Mehriban Pashayeva in Baku on 22 December 1983 and they have three children, Leyla, Arzu and Heydar. Apart from his native Azerbaijani, he is fluent in English, French, Russian, Ilham Aliyev is the son of Heydar Aliyev, who was President of Azerbaijan from 1993 to 2003. In May or June 1994, Ilham Aliyev was appointed as vice-president of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, in 1995, Aliyev was elected to the Parliament of Republic of Azerbaijan, later he became president of the National Olympic Committee. From 2001 to 2003, Aliyev was the elected as the head of Azerbaijani delegation to Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe, following that, in January 2003, he was elected as Deputy-Chairman and bureau member of PACE. In April of 2004, Mr. Aliyev was awarded a medal and diploma of honorable member of PACE for his participation in PACE events. In August 2003, two prior to the presidential elections, he was appointed as Prime Minister. The official results of the October 15,2003, elections gave victory to Ilham Aliyev, Ilham Aliyev was re-elected in 2008 with 87% of the polls, while opposition parties boycotted the elections. In a constitutional referendum in 2009, term limits for the presidency were abolished, the opposition claimed this to be a violation of the Azerbaijani constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. The 2010 parliamentary elections produced a Parliament completely loyal to Aliyev, the Economist subsequently scored Azerbaijan at 140th place in its 2011 Democracy Index. Repeated protests were staged against Aliyevs rule in 2011, calling for more democracy, well over 400 violent protestors were arrested after protests began in March 2011. Opposition leaders, including Musavats Isa Gambar, vowed to continue demonstrating, Amnesty International in its Media Briefing of 2012 reported that the crackdown on the free speech has intensified in recent years
6.
Mehriban Aliyeva
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Mehriban Aliyeva was born in Baku, into a family described in Wikileaks cables as the single most powerful family in Azerbaijan. Her grandfather was noted Iranian-born Azerbaijani writer Mir Jalal Pashayev and her uncle Hafiz Pashayev was Azerbaijans first Ambassador to the United States. Aliyevas father Arif Pashayev is Rector of the National Aviation Academy in Baku, Mehriban Aliyeva finished secondary school in 1981 and married Ilham Aliyev, the son of Heydar Aliyev, in Baku on 22 December 1983. She continued her studies, in which she excelled, at the Azerbaijan Medical University and later at the Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy, from which she graduated in 1988. From 1988–92, Mehriban Aliyeva worked at the State Research Institute of Eye Diseases of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow, two articles in The Times in 2005 described her as a qualified physician and former eye doctor. The Aliyevs have two daughters, Leyla and Arzu and a son Heydar, Leyla is the editor of Baku magazine, published by Azerbaijani Russian businessman Aras Agalarov, and is married to his son Emin Agalarov. In 1995, she established the Azerbaijani Culture Friends Foundation, in 1996, with financial support from Chevron, the foundation gave lifetime awards to six representatives of Azerbaijani art and culture. The foundation also sponsored performances in Baku of music by Antonio Vivaldi, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation also sponsors projects outside Azerbaijan, including helping to finance renovations at the Louvre Museum, Palace of Versailles, and Strasbourg Cathedral. In 2004, Mehriban Aliyeva became a designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, to honor her safeguarding of the heritage of Azerbaijan. In 24 November 2006, Aliyeva was awarded the title of Goodwill Ambassador of ISESCO for her attention to the children in need and help to improve their living conditions, in Azerbaijans 2005 parliamentary elections, she was elected to the National Assembly of Azerbaijan. She had previously broken with tradition to help campaign for her husband in 2003, on 21 February 2017 she was appointed Vice President of Azerbaijan, an office that was created through a constitutional referendum in 2016. On 6 March 2017 Central Election Commission terminated Mehriban Aliyevas deputy mandate per her request. M, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Israel – Honorary doctor of the Israel Medical Academy Mehriban Aliyevas Official Website Azerbaijans first lady. A role model for Muslim women
7.
Prime Minister of Azerbaijan
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The Prime Minister of Azerbaijan is the head of government of Azerbaijan. The current prime minister is Artur Rasizade, due to the central role of the President in the political system, the activities of the executive branch are significantly influenced by the head of state. People who held those positions are referred to as the prime ministers. They may have also referred to as Premier of Ministers. The Prime Minister is the third-highest constitutional office in Azerbaijan, in the event of the Presidents death, resignation or impeachment, the Prime Minister is second in the line of succession, after the First Vice-President. Until September 2016, when the office of First Vice-President was created, the Prime Minister was first in line
