Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. S.Ilhamgizi / The Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (DPA) will submit proposals to inject changes and supplements to the Constitution of the country due to the referendum, which will be held simultaneously with the presidential election in 2008, Sardar Jalaloglu, the chairman of DPA, said.
DPA submitted a set of proposals concerning changes and supplements to the Constitution on Constitution Day on 12 November. The party considers it necessary to decrease the powers of the President and increase the powers of the Parliament.
The proposals developed by the party offers amendment to the second issue of the Constitutional Azerbaijani Government that accepts political, ideological diversity and multi-party system. No ideology can be accepted as ruling and compulsory.
This amendment was included in the third issue: 'Everybody has right to hold unarmed assembles, rallies, demonstrations and pickets without preliminary sanctions from state bodies'.
The amendment is expected to be added to the fifth issue which envisages the increase of the number of MPs in the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament) to exceed 125, some 62 MPs on majority and 188 by proportional system.
It was also proposed that the Parliament make economic and social program decisions, as well as appoint the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Foreign Minister and Prosecutor General by decree of the President. Parliament may appoint and dismiss 1/3 of Judges of the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan and elect life term Judges of Azerbaijani Courts.
The DPA proposes the composition of Cabinet of Ministers should be from political parties, which win during the parliamentary elections.
DPA members noted that if Parliament does not make the decision to include the proposals made by the DPA in the referendum then the party will launch a campaign to collect signatures from the public.
The DPA was founded by Sardar Jalaloglu in 1991.