Azerbaijan: Proposal to Cancel 2010 Parliamentary Elections Hits Road Block

A governing party politician's proposal to postpone Azerbaijan's 2010 parliamentary elections "until the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolved" has met with both support and censure from President Ilham Aliyev's Yeni Azerbaijan Party. While senior party officials now dismiss the proposal as "a joke," the idea suggests that some politicians are keen to test the outer limits of the ruling party's 16-year hold on power.

The call to cancel the parliamentary elections surfaced during a November 13 debate about next year's budget for social welfare payments. Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) parliamentarian Aydin Hasanov suggested using the 50 million manat (about $62.5 million) budgeted to finance the elections for "increasing pensions."

"Why does the country, being in a state of war, have to chuck so much money away?" Hasanov asked in reference to the election budget, news outlets reported. "We are looking for money to feed our families, to increase welfare payments for pensioners."

The call for frugality hit many as more than ironic. Energy-rich Azerbaijan boasted a 2009 state budget of 8 billion manats (roughly $10 billion). But Hasanov cited legal precedence to justify his proposal - if constitutional provisions have been made for the postponement of presidential elections in time of war, why not for parliamentarians, too? [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive.]

"All deputies, including myself, are worthy sons of their nation," he declared, the opposition Azadlig (Freedom) newspaper reported. "Why should elections be held? Will those who could be elected be better than we are?"

Some parliamentarians applauded the proposal; others laughed.

YAP Executive Secretary Ali Ahmadov initially supported the proposal, calling it "very worthy," according to media reports.

But not all ruling party deputies agreed. Terming the proposal inappropriate, fellow YAP deputy Aydin Mirzazade warned that the suggestion to cancel the 2010 parliamentary elections could damage Azerbaijan's image.

"We should be careful," Mirzazade cautioned. "Such a proposal, even if it is only made by a single deputy, can be put by international organizations into their reports and lead to a negative image of Azerbaijan and its officials, including the Milli Majlis [legislature - ed]."

Azerbaijani news portal Mediaforum.az reported that Hasanov later left the chamber and reentered with Parliamentary Chairperson Oktay Asadov - an event that prompted the portal to assume Asadov had attempted to dissuade Hasanov from his notion. The report could not be independently verified.

Hasanov denied to opposition newspaper Azadliq (Freedom) that any pressure had been put on him. The idea that next year's elections should be canceled was his "opinion" alone, he said.

YAP Executive Secretary Ahmadov later appeared to change his mind about the proposal, and tried to pass it off as an attempt at frivolity.

"Of course, it was a joke. Next year, parliamentary elections will definitely be held in Azerbaijan," he told journalists. "In parliament, when people have been sitting too long, they need to start joking. You could see that this joke had a positive effect on those who were tired. It created a cheerful mood."

But the joke was lost on Isa Gambar, leader of the opposition Musavat Party, who took the proposal as "a serious message for society."

Earlier in Azerbaijan's history, the thought of having a president for life was also seen as a joke, Gambar claimed. Now it has become reality, he continued. In 2009, voters approved constitutional amendments that allow for postponing presidential elections during a state of war.

"If this person [Hasanov] sees that a person can stay as president as long as he wants, while the prosecutor, the ombudsman can stay in their positions for many years, then the deputy also thinks 'Why can't I stay in my post for life?' " Gambar said. "They understand that the illegal regime which is in power is oriented toward the establishment of a monarchy in the country, and, therefore, they want to stay where they are."

Under laws passed earlier this year, general prosecutors and ombudsmen can be re-appointed to their posts more than twice.

Constitutional law expert Fuad Agayev notes that for presidential - or parliamentary -- elections to be canceled, "first, President Ilham Aliev should declare a state of war in Azerbaijan."

"Now, there is no ground for it," Agayev said. "A frequent exchange of gunfire [with Armenia] along the frontline [of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict] does not mean a state of war or obstacles for the parliamentary elections. The county has been in such a situation for over 15 years . . ."

In Azerbaijan, the final word falls to the presidential administration. Ali Hasanov, head of the administration's political and public affairs department, termed the proposal to cancel next year's parliamentary elections "out of the question," and a smirch on Azerbaijan's financial largesse.

"It is absurd to bring up such an issue," he concluded in a November 16 conversation with journalists reported by media outlets. "Today Azerbaijan has funds not only to hold parliamentary elections at home, but also to assist with holding elections in other countries."