Controversial Azerbaijan referendum
September 26, 2016
Voters in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan on Monday cast ballots for or against proposed constitutional amendments that would award greater powers to longtime leader Ilham Aliyev.
The amendments include extending the presidential term from five to seven years, and enabling the president to call snap elections and dissolve the parliament.
The referendum also sought to reduce the minimum age for running for president to 35, and lower the minimum age for running for parliament from 25 to 18.
Opposition groups, who staged protests ahead of the vote, fear these amendments, if adopted, could allow Aliyev to groom a member of his already influential family to become his successor from an early age.
The proposals have also been criticized by the Venice Commission, a European constitutional law watchdog, which said prior to the referendum that an extension of the presidential mandate "cannot be justified." The commission, based in France, also expressed concern at a proposed measure limiting public assembly, and warned that giving the president power to dissolve parliament would undermine the possibility of political dissent.
Doubtful human rights record
The Azerbaijani government has rejected any criticism, insisting that the proposals would streamline the government and be conducive to fast economic reforms.
The 54-year-old Aliyev has led the authoritarian Caucasus country for more than a decade. A 2009 referendum already scrapped the previous limit of two presidential terms, meaning that he can contest the next elections in 2018.
Rights groups have slammed the country's human rights record under his rule. Amnesty International said ahead of the vote that it had received reports of arrests and intimidation of opponents of the referendum proposals.
Election officials said turnout was high, at 63.3 percent.
The official results are to be announced by October 21. The Russian TASS news agency reported that exit polls showed the proposed amendments were approved by a majority of voters, as was widely expected.
tj/kms (dpa, AFP)