Different assessments of the activities of the Milli Mejlis of the sixth convocation in the first year of the term of office

Baku/10.02.21/Turan: A year has passed since the elections to the Milli Majlis of the 6th convocation on February 9, 2020  with a five-year term of office. Because of violations, the CEC declared invalid the elections in four districts - 33rd Khatai first, 35th Khatai third, 74th Lankaran and 80th Imishli Beylegan. Since then, no repeat elections have been scheduled in these constituencies.

Another vacancy arose in connection with the death of the MP Fattah Heydarov in August 2020. No elections have been scheduled for this seat either.

The legislation does not prescribe a specific period for repeat elections, and by-elections because of the death of a deputy, and this issue is at the discretion of the CEC. However, according to the expert in the field of elections Bashir Suleymanli, repeated and additional terms should be carried out within a reasonable period.

 “If two months are given for holding elections to the Milli Mejlis, then elections for vacancies should be held within 2-3 months if there is a reason for repeated or by-elections,” the expert said.

How effective was the legislative activity of the parliament during the year? What has changed in the Milli Majlis?

According to the head of the Civic Solidarity Party, MP Sabir Rustamkhanli, the coronavirus pandemic caused very serious difficulties in the work of parliament. Nevertheless, the Milli Mejlis was able to pass a number of important laws, the MP said. In his opinion, the current composition of the parliament is "quite professional".

“I was absent from the Milli Mejlis for four years. However, I see at the last elections a significant number of young deputies were elected, who do their job quite professionally. For the first time, a representative of the opposition, a member of our party, Fazail Ibrahimli, was elected deputy speaker of the parliament. In some commissions, chairmen or deputy chairmen are representatives of the opposition,” Rustamkhanli said.

In his opinion, during the 44-day Karabakh war, the deputies on an international scale actively defended the interests of the country.

Former candidate for deputy, public activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev believes that the current composition of the Milli Mejlis was formed "on the basis of the most rigged elections among the parliaments of all convocations, which caused the greatest discontent among the population and carries out the most passive activity."

“Within one year, the country went through an unprecedentedly difficult period. At the beginning of last year, the coronavirus pandemic caused serious problems, affecting people's lives. Small and medium-sized businesses faced serious problems, staff layoffs began, and jobs were closed. However, the parliament did not hold a single serious discussion, did not put forward a single proposal in favor of the citizens,” Hajiyev said.

In the second half of the year, a war broke out in the country, but during this period  the parliament did not show itself in any way in performing the functions assigned to its competence, the activist continued.

“After the war, decisions were made to increase tariffs for a number of goods and services. Gasoline and water have risen in price and at the same time decisions have been made to build expensive office buildings. The parliament remains indifferent to all this, does not take steps in the interests of citizens, for their social protection,” summed up Hajiyev.

Elections to the Milli Majlis of the sixth convocation were held on February 9, 2020. Currently 69 out of 120 deputies are members of the Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP).

The Civic Solidarity Party has three mandates; the Fatherland, Democratic Reforms, Democratic Enlightenment, Great Creation, People's Front of Integral Azerbaijan, Vahdat, Republican Alternative, and Civil Unity have one deputy seat each.

Another 40 deputies are non-party.-021B06-