Will the Azerbaijani parliament be dismissed and snap elections held? Answer on 2 December

29 november

Azerbaijani MPs will consider the issue of the dissolution of the Azerbaijani parliament on December 2.

The initiative to ask the president to dissolve parliament and hold early elections was made on November 28 by the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP).

Even in the case of dissolution, the parliament will continue to work until the results of the early elections, reports Turan.

In Azerbaijan, experts have expressed doubt as to the legality of how parliament can discuss its own dissolution.  Moreover, more than half of the parliament is composed of members of the New Azerbaijan Party, which proposed the initiative.

Comments by politicians and experts

The news of the possible dissolution of the parliament shocked the public: from the opposition to ordinary citizens.

The leader of the opposition Republican Alternative party Ilgar Mammadov is preparing “for battle.”

“I don’t know why the question of dissolving the parliament arose right now. But, one way or another, our party will certainly participate in the elections.”

True, Ilgar Mammadov himself does not yet have the right to run for MP, as he was sentenced to several years in prison on charges of organising mass riots. The European Court of Human Rights considered this accusation unfair and demanded that the Azerbaijani government completely restore Mammadov’s legal status. Then he can be a candidate in the elections –  parliamentary or presidential. But the authorities have not yet fulfilled this requirement.

JAMnews political columnist Shahin Rzayev says:

“This is the next stage on the path of a smooth transfer of power from the president to the first vice president.”

First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva is the wife of the president.

YAP Vice Prime Minister Ali Akhmedov:

“In the parliamentary elections, we will nominate young people who are worthy of representing the people.”

Deputy Chairman of the opposition Musavat party Tofig Yagublu:

“At first they said that the opposition was hindering reform and rapid development.  Now they say that the parliament is hindering all this. ”

Social media response

Facebook users’ comments tend towards irony and are surprised. Some typical comments. 

“Wow, what a twist. It seems that the Georgians are demanding the dissolution of the parliament, they are dissolving it with us.”

“How will we live without such smart and active MPs!  But seriously, the new roster will be the same if we do not intervene.  Vote for anyone who is not in the YAP. This party is dangerous for the future of the country.”

“If you do not recruit a new parliament, but live without it at all, then it will only be better. And MPs’ salaries can be handed out to pensioners.”

28 november

The ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) has decided to dissolve the parliament and is going to ask the president to hold early elections.

The party explains this by the fact that the current composition of the parliament does not correspond to the policy of the head of state and ‘the reforms he is carrying out.’

The proposal was announced today at an urgent meeting of the YAP political council.  

And tomorrow the issue will be discussed in the parliament itself, which almost entirely consists of members of the same party.  That is, the parliament, in fact, wants to dissolve itself.

Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan were to be held only a year later, in November 2020.

Legal issues 

According to the constitution of Azerbaijan, the president can dissolve the parliament if he “twice in a year expresses no confidence in the Cabinet of Ministers or fails to appoint the necessary number of candidates for collegial activities of the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and the Central Bank’s Board, as well as when the does not fulfill its duties.”

 This means that only the president can dissolve parliament, and only in specified cases.  About the “inconsistency with the current policy of the head of state” the constitution does not say anything.  Therefore, many lawyers and experts consider this initiative illegal.