Azerbaijan to reform armed forces (22.02.2012)

(Source:Eurasianet)

Eighteen months after the belated adoption of a new military doctrine that pinpoints the continued occupation of Azerbaijani territory by Armenian forces as a major threat, Azerbaijan has finally embarked on structural reform of its armed forces.

Monitors call for reforms to ensure fair Azerbaijan elections (26.01.2011)

(Source:RFE/RL)

The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) released its final report on last November’s vote on January 25.

Azerbaijan rejects international criticism of elections (10.11.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

Azerbaijan has expressed dissatisfaction with U.S. criticism of Baku's parliamentary elections. The Foreign Ministry, in a statement made on November 9, said the State Department's views of the November 7 polls differed from that of international observers led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Parliamentary elections yield a lone opposition voice (08.11.2010)

(Source:Eurasianet)

With the preliminary results in, Azerbaijan’s November 7 parliamentary voting saw only one clear opposition candidate gain a seat in the country’s 125-member parliament. Independent election monitors say they observed numerous irregularities during the voting.

European Court finds Azerbaijan guilty of election fraud (09.04.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has issued its first ruling on a complaint about election fraud in Azerbaijan and found the government guilty, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.

Parliament delays vote on NGO bill (19.06.2009)

(Source:EurasiaNet / USA)

After a week of intense lobbying and activism, opponents of controversial draft amendments that would restrict non-governmental organizations' activities in Azerbaijan scored a minor victory June 19, when parliament postponed a scheduled vote on them.

Baku ahead in NATO race (05.06.2009)

(Source:ISN / Switzerland)

A senior source within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Joint Force Command has told EurasiaNet that Azerbaijan stands a better chance of gaining NATO membership in the near future than either Georgia or Ukraine. … Among its "strong advantages" are the country’s "strong cultural links" with NATO member Turkey and its strategic importance for the planned Nabucco and TGI (Turkey-Greece-Italy) gas pipelines, projects which "will deepen Western support [for] Azerbaijan in the coming years," according to the source.

Massacre sparks terror fears in Azerbaijan (08.05.2009)

(Source:IWPR / UK)

Unexplained shooting of 13 people in Baku feeds speculation about foreign ”terrorist” plots aimed at undermining stability. A multiple shooting at the state oil academy in Baku has caused shockwaves in Azerbaijan, prompting student protests and fuelling speculation about possible extremist motives.

Azeris end president's term limit (18.03.2009)

(Source:BBC / UK)

Voters in Azerbaijan have approved a proposal to lift the two-term limit for the country's president, officials say. With more than half the votes counted in a constitutional referendum, 92% of Azeris voted in favour of abolishing the limit. President Ilham Aliyev, who had backed the amendment, will now be able to extend his presidency beyond 2013.

Azerbaijan: going sour on Moscow? (19.02.2009)

(Source:EurasiaNet / USA)

Azerbaijani trust in Russia as an unbiased mediator for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is melting away amid lingering outrage over a suspected arms transfer to Armenia, and growing interest in the Western-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project. But with an eye to Russia’s regional weight, Baku is avoiding outright challenges to Moscow.

Azeri ban on foreign broadcasts (30.12.2008)

(Source:BBC / UK)

Azerbaijan has decided to ban from 1 January foreign radio broadcasts on the country's national fre-quencies. The decision - taken by the Azeri National TV and Radio Council - will affect the BBC, Voice of America, Radio Liberty and Europa Plus. Azeri officials denied opposition claims that the decision was political.

Azerbaijani parliament approves referendum on presidential term limit (26.12.2008)

(Source:RFE/RL / International)

Azerbaijan's parliament has voted overwhelmingly to hold a referendum early next year to remove the limit on presidential terms, potentially extending four decades of dynastic rule in the oil-rich state. The parliament voted 100 to 7 to hold a referendum on March 18 on proposed constitutional amendments that would remove the two-term limit on the president.

Azerbaijan's ruling party wants referendum on third term for president (16.12.2008)

(Source:RFE, RL / International)

The ruling Yeni Azerbaycan Party (New Azerbaijan Party) has suggested that parliament vote for a referendum that would ask voters if they wanted to lift the ban on a third-term presidency in Azerbaijan. … President Ilham Aliyev was elected to his second term on October 15 for five years in an election deemed neither free nor fair by international organizations.

Azerbaijan’s stalled army reform – new ICG briefing (29.10.2008)

(Quelle: International Crisis Group) Reform of Azerbaijan’s controversial army is stalling for lack of political will. “Azerbaijan: Defence Sector Management and Reform“, the latest policy briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines the difficulties the country faces in upgrading its military.

Aliyev sworn in, pledges to restore control over separatist region (24.10.2008)

(Quelle: RFE/RL) Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was sworn in for a second term on October 24 after a disputed landslide electoral victory, and pledged to restore control over his country's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Vote monitor faults election in Azerbaijan (17.10.2008)

(Quelle: New York Times) A European election observer gave a stinging assessment on Thursday of Azerbaijan’s presidential election, provoking an angry response from local journalists and officials, who said Europe had applied double standards. Azerbaijan held its presidential election on Wednesday, in which the incumbent, Ilham Aliyev, won more than 88 percent of the vote.

Presidential election offers seven candidates, but only one choice (14.10.2008)

(Quelle: EurasiaNet) The posters hanging throughout Baku for seven presidential candidates are one of the few reminders that October 15 is election day in Azerbaijan. The victor, many voters believe, is a foregone conclusion: incumbent President Ilham Aliyev. A recent report from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Election Observation Mission noted that 'a perceived lack of genuine competition' has limited public interest in the election.

Azerbaijani opposition mulls presidential election boycott (02.08.2008)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) August 1 marks the start of the campaign for the Azerbaijani presidential election scheduled for October 15. That incumbent Ilham Aliyev -- who succeeded his father, Heidar Aliyev, as president in 2003 in a ballot deemed by international monitors not to have met international standards for democratic elections -- will be reelected for a second term is a foregone conclusion. … In many respects, the current campaign looks set to replicate many of the negative aspects of the 1998 and 2003 campaigns that incurred trenchant criticism from the international community.

Council of Europe Head anticipates improved vote in Azerbaijan (15.07.2008)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) As Baku readies itself for a new presidential election campaign, Khadija Izmayilova of RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service sat down with Council of Europe Secretary-General Terry Davis to discuss the state of democracy in Azerbaijan ahead of the October 15 vote.

OSCE Office in Baku launches information sessions on non-interference in the electoral process (09.07.2008)

(Quelle: OSCE) The OSCE Office in Baku today opened a series of one-day information sessions for leaders of local election authorities on non-interference in the electoral process. During the sessions, Heads of Regional Executive Authorities and the Chairmen of Constituency Election Commissions will be briefed about the newly amended Electoral Code and its provisions on non-interference.

Azerbaijani parliament amends election law, opposition cries foul (06.06.2008)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) The Azerbaijani parliament approved on June 2 by a vote of 100 in favor and three against with one abstention amendments to the existing election law that shorten the length of the election campaign from four months to 75 days, but fail to address the opposition's long-standing primary demand, which is to give opposition representatives equal representation on election commissions in order to minimize the likelihood of fraud during the vote count and tabulation.

OSCE, Council of Europe, European Commission present assistance plans for Azerbaijan election (30.04.2008)

(Quelle: OSCE) Representatives of the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the OSCE presented plans today for assisting the Republic of Azerbaijan in preparing for the 15 October presidential election.

Kosovo and Karabakh: how Azerbaijan sees the connection (28.03.2008)

(Quelle: Eurasianet) Azerbaijan’s decision to withdraw its peacekeepers from Kosovo is playing into a larger debate about the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Independent Islam and the State – new ICG Report (25.03.2008)

(Quelle: International Crisis Group) The Azerbaijani government’s policy of controlling all religious life and harsh treatment of some independent Islamic communities risks radicalising peaceful groups. „Azerbaijan: Independent Islam and the State”, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, concentrates on the relationship between the independent Muslim communities and the Azerbaijani state in an effort to determine whether the former present a security concern and what measures might best be adopted by the latter to guard against religious extremism.

Heading off jihad (14.11.2007)

(Quelle: ISN Security Watch) A spate of recent arrests and an alleged plot to attack on western embassies in Baku are alarming indicators of rising Islamic radicalization among Azerbaijan's disenfranchised ethnic minorities. While these groups appear to lack any concrete organization, the government's failure to address their needs and strengthen its democratic institutions could buy them enough time to become a much more serious threat.

US embassy targeted by Azerbaijan terror (29.10.2007)

(Quelle: Washington Post) The U.S. and British embassies suspended operations Monday in Baku, where the government said it thwarted a radical Islamic group's plot to conduct a 'large-scale horrifying terror attack' against diplomatic missions and government buildings. The Azerbaijani National Security Ministry said one suspect was killed and several others were detained in a weekend sweep in village outside the capital.

Azerbaijan urged to improve election laws (10.07.2007)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) A top representative with Europe's main human rights body has called on Azerbaijan to improve its election laws and ensure next year's presidential elections meet international standards. Rene Van der Linden, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, spoke in Baku at the end of a weeklong tour of the South Caucasus.

Experts: Azerbaijan military build-up for diplomatic, domestic advantage (03.07.2007)

(Quelle: Eurasianet) As Azerbaijan’s military spending reaches $1 billion, the country’s leadership has revived rhetoric about using force to resolve the 19-year Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia. But for all the war worries sparked by bellicose statements, experts in Baku stress that they have more to do with diplomatic maneuvering and domestic politics than an actual desire to trade talks for tanks.

Baku summit leaders pledge to cooperate more (18.06.2007)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) Leaders from Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Azerbaijan have signed a final joint declaration at the summit of the GUAM Organization For Democracy And Economic Development in Baku. The declaration states that all sides will work to strengthen cooperation on security and stability in the region. The signatories also agreed to consolidate democratic values, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and achieve social and economic development.

UN rights expert voices concern about press freedom in Azerbaijan (06.05.2007)

(Quelle: UN News) An independent United Nations human rights expert has voiced concern about press freedom in Azerbaijan while reporting that his recent meetings there offered hope that court decisions which have caused a prevailing sense of fear among journalists will be reviewed. “While the Government and State institutions have expressed a willingness to conduct a more open dialogue with media representatives and international organizations, the media environment is marked by various deficiencies,” said Ambeyi Ligabo, the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression, in a statement released in Geneva.