By empty (8/12/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The Azeri government has proposed an amendment to the countryfs electoral law that a presidential election should be postponed in case of the incumbent presidentfs illness or resignation. According to the Azertaj news agency, the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan has agreed to consider the Cabinetfs request. Heydar Aliyev, the ailing 80-year-old Azeri President, is being treated at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
The Azeri government has proposed an amendment to the countryfs electoral law that a presidential election should be postponed in case of the incumbent presidentfs illness or resignation. According to the Azertaj news agency, the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan has agreed to consider the Cabinetfs request. Heydar Aliyev, the ailing 80-year-old Azeri President, is being treated at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. He has serious heart and kidney problems. The opposition believes that the recent appointment of Heydar Aliyevfs son Ilham Aliyev as Prime Minister and a possible support of the governmentfs request by the Constitutional Court will secure the presidential post for Ilham Aliyev. However, despite his heart problems, Heydar Aliyev is going to run for a third term in office. ⌠Those who strive for power will have to wait until 2003, when next presidential elections are scheduled, but they should know that they will have to deal with me, Mr. Aliyev said in an interview, alluding to the opposition. The presidential election in Azerbaijan was scheduled for October 15. So far, only two candidates have registered to stand for the election - Heydar Aliyev and his son Ilham, who was appointed Prime Minister of Azerbaijan a week ago. According to the TURAN news agency, 102 parliamentarians voted for Ilham Aliyev, and one ã against him. The appointment of Ilham Aliyev as Prime Minister makes him second in line for presidency. Under the Azeri Constitution, Prime Minister becomes acting president in the event the president is incapacitated or resigns. (RBC)