First President of Azerbaijan denies rumors on possible return to power

The first president of Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutallibov, has categorically denied rumors which have emerged in the press regarding his possible appointment to the post of prime minister of Azerbaijan.

The rumors first started to appear following the ex-president’s unexpected announcement on his readiness to support the first lady and first Vice President of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva, at the upcoming presidential elections next year.

Many media outlets, including pro-governmental ones, suggested that this announcement is the beginning of a campaign to appoint Mutallibov as the future prime minister of Azerbaijan. According to them, the reason for this is that the incumbent PM Arthur Rasizade has already entered into advanced age, and will probably go into retirement after the elections. (Next year Rasizade turns 83 years old, and is only three years older than Mutallibov).

Those publications depict Mutallibov as ‘Russia’s protege’, and his appointment to the key position is suggested to be a curtesy towards the northern neighbor.

Ayaz Mutallibov himself called the rumours ‘nonsense’.

“Is it appropriate for me to compete for the post at my age? And I’m a not a man of Russia. Yes, I was compelled to seek shelter there, but that doesn’t mean that Russians welcomed me with flowers,” Mutallibov reported to Modern.az.