Half of the parties in Azerbaijan closed, reasons…

29 parties in Azerbaijan have ceased to exist, explaining their dissolution mainly by the new law "On Political Parties", which came into force earlier this year. According to the new law, the minimum required number of members for party registration has been increased from 1,000 to 5,000.

In this process, a new case has emerged when leaders of closed parties decide to suspend their activities either after being released from prison or while in custody. According to the law, a State-registered political party with fewer than 4,500 members may be dissolved on the basis of a court decision. In addition, parties without state registration are not considered valid, and fines may be imposed in such cases.

Chairman of the Citizen and Development Party (VIP) Ali Aliyev, who was arrested in January 2022 on charges of insulting his cellmate and other offenses, said that the party decided to suspend its activities in accordance with the new law. The party's situation was further complicated by Aliyev's detention, which made it difficult to comply with the new legislation. Having failed to collect the necessary signatures, the VIP organization decided to cease its activities in order to avoid legal liability.

MP Elman Nasirov from the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (PEA), in an interview with Turan, admitted that it was expected that the new law would lead to the termination of the activities of parties that do not have significant weight or influence on the political scene. Parties devoid of political influence are struggling to attract 5,000 members, but cannot do so due to a lack of public trust, which leads to the termination of their activities.

Nasirov stressed that there are still political parties in Azerbaijan that can influence public opinion. As for the suspension of the party's activities after the release of the chairman from prison, Nasirov said that the authorities had no deliberate intention to influence their activities. Strong parties have capable teams that can continue their work even if their leaders end up in prison, but the situation is different with parties that have dropped out of the political field.

Azer Gasimli, head of the Institute of Political Management, in an interview with Radio Azadlig suggested that the authorities are trying to close most of the parties, considering them not in line with the interests of the government. Many of these parties were created during the reign of President Ilham Aliyev for specific purposes that they are no longer able to fulfill. There is a risk that in the future these parties may change hands, they may fall under the control of persons not connected with the authorities. To avoid such potential complications, the authorities are currently closing these parties.

Gasimli noted that the authorities have provided financial support to many parties and are currently trying to optimize their activities. He believes that the process of closing parties or mergers will continue. Before the new law came into force, more than 50 parties were registered in Azerbaijan.