Azerbaijan: Through Constitutional Amendments to Dictatorship

• 08.04.2016, 12:54
• Hermine Mkhitaryan
•  Region,  World

On September 26, Azerbaijani citizens will be asked in the referendum whether they support the proposed amendments to the Constitution or not. Results of the referendum are not difficult to predict, especially taking into consideration the mechanism of repression in Azerbaijan. In this situation there are several questions that should be answered. Why did this process start right now?What is the real purpose of the Constitutional amendments? What will happen in Azerbaijan after that?

The proposal for Constitutional amendments represented by the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, has already received the approval of the Constitutional Court. The document envisages a series of changes to different chapters of the Constitution. Those amendments are mainly called to expand presidential powers in Azerbaijan. The most obvious example is that the presidential term will be extanded from five to seven years, the president will be given the right to appoint the first vice president and vice presidents without anyone’s approval, to declare snap presidential elections etc. The new Constitution will also eliminate the minimum age limit for presidential and parliament candidates to 25 and 18 accordingly.   

There is no doubt that through these amendments president Ilham Aliyev is making grounds to transfer the power to his son – Heydar Aliyev junior. In 2018 President Aliyev will complete his 3rd period term. There is a high probability that he will put his candidacy for the 4th term. After that, in 2025, his son - then 28-year-old Heydar Aliyev – will be completely ready to replace this father as the president.

Through these constitutional amendments Aliyev attempts to finally concentrate the power in the hands of one family, creating constitutional grounds of power transfer from father to son without any obstacles.

And finally, what will happen after this? In fact, the content will remain the same, only the form is going to be changed. Azerbaijani people will completely lose at least de jure opportunity to participate in the governance of their country. The new constitution is called to serve the power, not the people. Azerbaijani authorities have consistently built medieval dictatorships, where the people have no right, have no voice and are just an object, nothing more.