BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 12
Trend:
Parliamentary elections is yet another milestone development in political system of Azerbaijan, Assistant of the President of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev said during The John Batchelor Show, Trend reports Feb. 12.
“To make the legislative branch of the government of Azerbaijan more compatible, more interoperable with the executive branch of Azerbaijani government, we had snap elections,” Hajiyev said. “Ruling party called for this election.”
OSCE ODIHR, Council of Europe and some other institutions have been invited to monitor these elections, said the official.
Initially, over 2,100 people applied through the party line, or individually, Hajiyev added.
“More than 1,300 candidates were running in the election process and 21 percent were women,” the presidential assistant said. “Also, 19 political parties were running in this election process. We saw wider enthusiasm, energy in Azerbaijani society about these elections that it can bring more younger people, including the new political forces to the parliament of Azerbaijan. As a result, parliament of Azerbaijan could also be more adaptable to the innovation, or as we sometime call it, fourth industrial revolution, digital revolution, that’s going on in the world.”
“Azerbaijan also prepares itself for this industrial revolution through our partners,” Hajiyev noted. “Therefore, government institutions of Azerbaijan, including the legislative branch should also be ready to this new challenge. But we see it as more opportunity rather than a challenge.”
One of the priorities put forward ahead of the government of Azerbaijan by President Ilham Aliyev after his re-election in 2018 was about reforming and restructuring of Azerbaijani government system so that to have more effectiveness and also be ready to face emerging new challenges and also to ensure more sustainable, consistent development of Azerbaijan, the presidential assistant noted.
“As a result of this we have seen since that time epochal change in the public administration of Azerbaijan,” Hajiyev added. “Institutions like Presidential Administration have been changed and new people have been brought to this institution. Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan has been changed. Therefore, structural changes and personnel changes complemented one another, because in every reform process, personnel are a key. At the end of the day, personnel are implementing the reform programs.”