Does Mehman Aliyev propose transition to monarchy?

Baku/21.02.22/Turan: An article by the head of the Turan news agency Mehman Aliyev “Three-staged transition from authoritarianism to democracy” caused heated discussions in society. The article says that regardless of the form of government, the transition period from authoritarianism to democracy can drag on for 15 years. It is assumed that  this period may be needed by the Azerbaijani society for the transition to democracy, based on the time intervals between parliamentary elections, as well as five-year action plans.

In addition, the article talks about the possibility of launching different forms of government. In particular, the theoretical aspects of the monarchy and presidential-parliamentary government are touched upon.

The discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the monarchy in this article caused concern among citizens. Some people think that Mehman Aliyev  supports the transition to a monarchy. But is so? Is Mehman Aliyev really suggesting a transition to a monarchy?

Mehman Aliyev himself answers these questions in the “Difficult Question” program. According to him, in the article he shows three transitional stages, the total duration of which is 15 years.

“We start with presidential rule or monarchy, but in the end, we come to a parliamentary form of government. So, in fact, I propose not a monarchy, but a transition to a parliamentary republic, which will be carried out in three stages,” Mehman Aliyev said.

At the  Stage 1, an expert council under the president should be created; the task of which is to prepare a plan of strategic reforms with the participation of the government, as well as control over the implementation of the decisions of the council approved by the president, Aliyev believes. An amnesty of capital and a general amnesty are also needed, with the exception of those who have committed really proven crimes.

Stage 2 provides for holding free elections to the parliament, which then forms the government. At the same time, measures are being taken to expand the participation of civil society in the life of the country, and freedom of speech is ensured. In parallel, the reforms developed by the expert council are being carried out.

And finally, at the Stage 3, the government of the country passes to the parliament, elected freely by the will of the people. The President also performs representative functions as a symbol of the state.

According to Mehman Aliyev, the reason that prompted him to come up with this idea was a deep crisis in the country.

“The country is in crisis, and this crisis has both socio-economic and political causes. And most importantly, human rights are not ensured in the country. We live in an authoritarian system that is turning into totalitarianism, i.e. branches of government, parliament, court, executive power are not independent and cannot act independently. Everything depends on the will of the central government. This is the reason for the deep crisis that the country is going through,” Aliyev said.-0--