THE ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) has secured absolute majority in the parliamentary elections and the outcome of the snap polls is seen as approval of the reform agenda of President Aliyev by people of Azerbaijan. YAP candidates won 81 of the 125 seats in Parliament, according to data provided by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on February 10 based on voting protocols from almost all polling stations.
President Aliyev, who has been in power for 17 years, called the election in December, nine months before it was formally due in a bid to seeking mandate of the people to accelerate the pace of reforms he is pursuing to modernize his country. The result gives the ruling party an increase of 16 seats from what it had in the outgoing Parliament, the Milli Majlis, before the snap elections were called. Pro-government parties and independent candidates who support YAP policies took all the rest of the seats in an election widely monitored by international observers who have expressed their general satisfaction over the electoral process. Analysts agree that election administration was well resourced and met legal deadlines, and the Central Election Commission (CEC) made concerted efforts to act transparently and was welcoming towards international observers. Sunday’s election pit veteran legislators against young, Western-educated candidates from the same governing party in an effort to overhaul the legislature with more able technocrats. The overwhelming victory of the ruling parties and its allies means smooth sailing of the reforms process by the President, who has vowed to tackle issues like unemployment effectively and making public service more efficient. President Aliyev’s popularity can be gauged from the fact that he Aliyev has retained confidence of the people since he was elected in October 2003, two months before the death of his father who held power for a decade. He won elections in 2008, 2013 and 2018, and two separate referendums scrapped a two-term presidential limit and extended the presidential term to seven years from five. The changes he wanted to make are aimed at preparing Azerbaijan for 21st century needs and requirements. It was in this context that he publicly announced that those in the government over age of 70 should step aside to make room for younger faces and new ideas. “Qualified young people with up-to-date knowledge of contemporary world economy should take responsible government positions as we live in the 21st Century and cannot move into the future with outdated mentality and thinking,” Aliyev stated. The policies pursued by the incumbent President and his father late Heydar Aliyev have put Azerbaijan on firm economic footings. President Aliyev is working to diversify the economy away from its dependence on oil and natural gas production, create new industries and enterprises, and boost the kinds and numbers of jobs. These policies are paying dividends as indicated by impressive performance by non-oil sector which grew by a record 15%. The success of his policies can also be gauged by the fact that the World Bank now ranks Azerbaijan 25th in terms “Ease of Doing Business.” The World Economic Forum puts it just ahead of Greece, South Africa and Turkey in the WEF’s Global Competitiveness. The Heritage Foundation gives Azerbaijan a score of 65.4 in its 2019 Index of Economic Freedom; foundation experts say a score in the 60’s tends to show a country is at a point where it can take off and considerably expand if the right policies are implemented. Azerbaijan is rightly considered as an exemplary country on a global scale in terms of social protection. The minimum wage and pension are increasing, while the self-employment programme is also gaining pace. Credit also goes to President Aliyev for a balanced foreign policy as Azerbaijan has not allowed itself to be entangled into regional conflicts. It is a matter of satisfaction that Pakistan and Azerbaijan have always enjoyed good relationship and Pakistan was the first country to have recognized Azerbaijan after it secured independence from the {erstwhile} Soviet Union. President Aliyev has shown his commitment on several occasions to strengthen political, diplomatic, economic and defence ties with Pakistan. We are confident that under his dynamic leadership the relationship would scale new heights in all fields especially trade and investment.
