Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 20 /corr. Trend J.Babayeva / The chairwoman of Azerbaijan Parliament's standing committee for human rights, Rabiyat Aslanova, positively assesses the changes to the Constitution, which according to her, testify that Azerbaijan is on the threshold of a new stage. "Changes to the Constitution are the requirement of time. These changes reflect realities of the public and political, socio-cultural life of Azerbaijan, acceleration of the process of political modernization. The changes testify that we are on the threshold of a new stage. This stage has its requirements. According to them, changes must be made to the Constitution for the improvement of the mechanism of protection of human rights and freedoms," Aslanova told Trend on Dec. 20.
Azerbaijani Parliament lifted restriction in the Constitution prohibiting one person from being elected President more than twice.
On Dec. 19, Azerbaijani Parliament's commission on legal policy and state building and commission on human rights adopted at a joint meeting the Referendum Action on Supplements and Changes to the Constitution and submitted it to the Parliament for consideration. At the initiative of the Speaker Ogtay Asadov, the Parliament removed Paragraph 5 from Article 101 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan Republic, which prohibited a person from being elected President repeatedly more than two times.
Instead, the Parliament included a Paragraph stipulating for postponement of presidential elections in case of the country wages military operations.
The governing New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) suggested a referendum to eliminate the restriction prohibiting a person from being elected president more than two times. Several political parties represented at the Parliament, public organizations and intellectuals supported the proposal.
The term of office of the president is five years. Azerbaijani Constitution was adopted in 1995 and amended and supplemented in 2002.
Other changes to the Constitution of the country are connected with article 108 - on the rights those formerly elected as the Presidents of Azerbaijan and their status; with renaming National Bank into the Central Bank, the Executive Apprat of the President into the Presidential Administration and others
Changes in the text of the Constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic may be made only by way of referendum (Article 152).
If proposals about changes in the text of Constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic are presented by Milli Majlis (Parliament) or the President of the Azerbaijan Republic, then Constitutional Court of the Azerbaijan Republic should give its conclusion beforehand (Article 153).
According to Aslanova, sometimes necessity appears to make changes even to the most important documents, adopted by the international organizations.
"Each new time and each development stage has its requirements. From this point of view, the project of changes to the Constitution is directed towards the expansion of the human rights, removal of some limitations. Constitution is not only legal act, but also an ideological document, the guarantee of social stability. Constitution requires reforms and creative approach," said Aslanova.
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