Monday, October 2, 2023
 
 

Azerbaijan ruling party wins snap parliamentary elections

- Advertisement -

According to exit polls, long-term president Ilham Aliyev and his ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) won a majority of seats in Azerbaijan’s snap parliamentary election.
The country started an early election on Sunday in an effort to renew its dissolved National Assembly. 1,314 candidates, of which 22% are women, were running for parliamentary seats.
A parliamentary election was initially scheduled for November 2020. However, a proposal to dissolve the parliament was passed in the assembly in December. It was signed by Aliyev, who has been in power for 17 years. Government officials said the snap polls would help speed up the country’s economic reforms.
The parliamentary polls are the sixth in Azerbaijan since the country re-gained its independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Critics say Aliyev is seeking a way to stay in power. His father, a Soviet-era KGB leader, passed the presidency to his son.
The snap elections were boycotted by the opposition, who blames Aliyev for the country’s economic slowdown. The opposition has accused the governing party of holding the vote in unfair conditions. It has also accused him of attempting to replace old discredited elites with younger candidates:
“Instead of real change, Aliyev is imitating political reforms by purging from power old members of his team who have long been hated by people”, said Ali Karimli, the leader of the opposition Popular Front party.

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

Latest

Iran protesters mark anniversary of “Bloody Friday”

Residents in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and...

US announces Israel’s acceptance into the Visa Waiver Program

Israeli citizens will be allowed visa-free entry into the...

UN General Assembly 2023: More progress urgently needed on Sustainable Development Goals

The 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) kicked off...

Don't miss

Iran protesters mark anniversary of “Bloody Friday”

Residents in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and...

US announces Israel’s acceptance into the Visa Waiver Program

Israeli citizens will be allowed visa-free entry into the...

UN General Assembly 2023: More progress urgently needed on Sustainable Development Goals

The 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) kicked off...

Europe’s lawmakers see opportunity for regime change a year after Iran’s latest uprising

On September 21, representatives of various political groups held...

With Armenia defeated tensions between Yerevan and Russia reach a turning point

Relations between Armenia and its traditional strategic partner Russia are deteriorating fast. With Yerevan's fundamental defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh - the 30-year-old Moscow-backed separatist region...

The Iranian regime is becoming ruthlessly paranoid about ethnic Azeri demands for civil rights guarantees

Complete disregard for the well-being of Iran’s Azeri minority has sparked a wave of intense anger within the community.

Azerbaijan planning to launch green energy exports to Europe

Azerbaijan, which is already a main exporter of oil and gas, plans to develop its renewable energy potential, especially offshore wind in the Caspian...

Turkey’s seismic shift

This breakthrough in normalization between Armenia and Turkey comes amid a much wider context, well beyond the simple validation of earthquake diplomacy to elevate crisis response over conflict retention. 

Armenia’s parliament could take steps to severely curtail press freedom in the country

Armenian authorities appear to be using the South Caucasus nation's military conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan as an excuse to curtail press freedom.On January 6,...

Azerbaijan’s opening of an embassy in Israel is a major tectonic shift on the regional geopolitical map

With the regional geopolitical situation as it is, and amidst pressure and threats on multiple fronts, Azerbaijan has responded with a key decision to bolster relations with a key ally by formally opening an embassy in Israel.

Kazakhstan’s president proposes Constitutional reforms referendum

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed on April 29 holding a referendum in the Central Asian country on the draft amendments to the Constitution and...

Interview: Uzbekistan an active player in the global trade system

New Europe in an exclusive interview during the first Tashkent International Investment Forum, spoke to Laziz Kudratov, Uzbek first deputy minister for investment and...