In post-Soviet Azerbaijan, it is ok for power to be passed from father to son. But it appears to be too soon for authority to transfer from husband to wife.
Speculation mounted that First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva aspires to the country’s top political post after The Democratic Azerbaijan World Party (DAWP), an obscure pro-presidential group, nominated her on June 21 for the presidency. That announcement came two weeks after the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party nominated the incumbent president and Mehriban’s spouse, Ilham Aliyev, to run for a third term. Azerbaijan is scheduled to hold its presidential election in October.
If the Aliyeva nomination was a trial balloon, it quickly seemed to burst. After a few days, DAWP representatives started backtracking, offering a far-fetched explanation that renegades within the party’s ranks were responsible for making the nomination announcement.
A few anti-government news sources suggested the sudden reversal on the Aliyeva nomination was indicative of a split in the ruling establishment, while pro-government news outlets described the nomination as a political provocation. RFE/RL relayed an expert opinion that the political elite may have been testing the waters about the viability of an Aliyeva candidacy in the future.
For now, Aliyeva remains by her husband’s side as the deputy chair of Yeni Azerbaijan Party, with President Ilham Aliyev serving as the chair.
The presidency is already synonymous with the Aliyevs in Azerbaijan, as President Ilham Aliyev inherited the post from his late father Heydar Aliyev. If Mehriban manages to take over from her husband, it would cement in place the kind of political dynasty in Azerbaijan now seen only in North Korea.
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