Azerbaijan - Elections 2005
The parliament was historically a weak body with little real influence. Azerbaijan's first parliament was elected in 1995. The 125-member unicameral parliament was elected in November 2005 in an election that showed some improvements, but did not meet a number of international standards. A majority of parliamentarians are from the President's "New Azerbaijan Party." The parliament also includes up to 10 opposition members and a sizeable number of nominal independents. Many of these independents are believed to have close ties to government, while as many as 20 others are business leaders whose political affiliations are not clear.
In 2006, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev repeatedly affirmed his government's commitment to democratic development and political reform. Azerbaijan's human rights record remained poor and the government committed numerous human rights abuses. Government officials increased restrictions on media freedom, most notably by temporarily closing Azerbaijan's leading independent television and radio company, ANS, in late November. The government also opened numerous criminal libel lawsuits against independent newspapers. Journalists, particularly those affiliated with opposition parties, continued to face harassment and intimidation. Two opposition party journalists were physically assaulted, one in March 2006, another in May 2006, by unidentified assailants. In September 2006, a court sentenced a leading political satirist to jail on narcotics possession charges most observers believed to be spurious.
The Government severely restricted the exercise of freedom of assembly, not granting authorization for a single opposition political rally in Baku during the entire year. Unsanctioned demonstrations attempted by the opposition were broken up by police intervention. In November police detained approximately 40 opposition persons, sentencing them to between two and 15 days in "administrative" detention for attempting to hold a protest near the Mayor's office.
On May 13, 2006, Azerbaijan held re-run parliamentary elections in ten districts. As with the November 2005 parliamentary elections, the GOAJ publicly committed to meeting international standards and instituted some reforms. There was some progress in the conduct of the parliamentary rerun elections, specifically improvements in finger-inking, candidate registration, largely unimpeded campaigning, and quick posting of the results on the website of the Central Election Commission. There were large numbers of domestic election observers who participated, including representatives of the Election Monitoring Center. There was consistency between the official results and the results of the U.S. Government-supported exit poll. There were, however, reports of irregularities in the pre-election period, including the misuse of administrative authority in support of specific candidates, as well as allegations of fraud in specific precincts on Election Day. Also, there were reports that some domestic observers were restricted in their access to the electoral process.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva appears to have had substantial cosmetic surgery, presumably overseas, and wears dresses that would be considered provocative even in the Western world. The Pashayev women are known to be fashion-conscious and daring, far more so than the average woman in majority- Muslim Azerbaijan. On television, in photos, and
in person, she appears unable to show a full range of facial expression. The First Lady and her two daughters hosted Second Lady Lynne Cheney for dinner in September 2008. Prior to the Second Lady's arrival, while the three ladies were waiting for Mrs. Cheney's car, one Secret Service agent asked "which one of those is the mother?" US Emboffs and White House staff studied the three for several moments, and then Emboff said, "Well, logically the mother would probably stand in the middle."
In a November 2007 article that continued to be picked up by other media outlets, independent Turan news agency reported that a "new" pro-government party was being created to spread ruling party propaganda and support President Ilham Aliyev's re-election in October 2008. This party, which Turan alleged would take over the pre-existing Democratic Azerbaijan World Party (DAWP), would likely be headed by First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. Turan reported that the party had been created to squeeze out the traditional Nakhchivani and YerAz clans which have dominated Azerbaijan's ruling elite, replacing the clan-based elite with a new Baku-based leader. The article speculated that the new party would eventually support First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva's presidential campaign in 2013. Baku's chattering classes quickly picked up on the Turan article, and rumors spread that the First Lady was launching a political move against the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP). Perhaps in response to the rumors, in a December article in the state-run newspaper, President Aliyev referred to his wife as his "great supporter," and cryptically noted that there should be "no opposition" in a family.
DAWP Chair Mammad Alizade explained that he founded the party in 1992; it was registered with the GOAJ in 1993 and again in 1995. According to Alizade, the DAWP was clearly pro-government, and was part of a coalition of pro-government parties, which he said had 11 members. The idea that the DAWP supported the First Lady, said Alizade, was "crap" started by the opposition. While the party generally respected the First Lady and supported her work in the villages surrounding Baku, Alizade said the DAWP's main focus was to support the ruling party's policies as defined by late former President Heydar Aliyev, and to campaign for current President Ilham Aliyev's re-election. According to Alizade, the DAWP boasted 170,000 official members, but would review many more applications for membership and announce its new membership totals in the coming weeks.
The ruling party dismissed allegations that the First Lady had a hand in creating a new political party. With visible agitation, ruling YAP Executive Secretary and de facto Chair Ali Ahmadov labeled the rumors "rubbish." He noted that Aliyeva was elected to Parliament as a ruling party MP and is a member of the party's executive secretariat. Referring to the DAWP, Ahmadov said that Alizade "is familiar to all of us" and was trying to create a council of small parties. "We consider this rubbish" he repeated.
Opposition Azerbaijan Democratic Party Chair Sardar Jalaloglu said he did not believe the First Lady was personally involved in the DAWP; he noted that it is common practice in Azerbaijan for others to use the names of members of the Aliyev family to accomplish their own political goals. According to Jalaloglu, there is an ongoing clan struggle, with the traditional Nakhchivan and YerAz clans being replaced by the First Lady's relatives, the Pashayevs.
Referring to the Pashayevs' vast commercial interests -- which he listed as including Pasha Holdings, NAR mobile, an upscale new shopping center in downtown Baku, and various construction companies -- Jalaloglu said the family was placing relatives in strategic cultural positions. The family, he continued, was also gaining support in Baku and the surrounding villages. Jalaloglu said the clan struggle was evidenced by the imprisonment of former ministers Farhad Aliyev and Ali Insanov; the scuffle in Parliament that resulted in the formerly pro-government Hussein Abdullayev losing his seat; and the fact that the President's uncle, the infamously salty and abrasive Member of Parliament Jalal Aliyev, had maintained an unusually low profile of late.
While conventional wisdom held that Aliyeva likely will run for president in 2013, she had been very supportive of her husband and is unlikely to present any public opposition to his power or his policies.
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