National Council and "Real" reject the changes to the Constitution

The National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) and the “REAL”  Movement made statements condemning proposals to the Constitution made by head of State On 18 July  Ilham Aliyev sent  to the Constitutional Court Acts of the referendum on constitutional changes. This document assumes the extension of the presidential term to 7 years, the abolition of age restrictions 25 years old for election of a deputy, and 35 years  for  election of country's president. In addition, the President is entitled to dissolve the parliament, to hold early presidential elections, and to appoint the first vice-president and vice-president. Finally, the authorities are entitled to limit the right to personal property."All these changes are aimed at legitimizing and making endless the  rule of the Aliyev family,  and legitimating monarchical system," reads the statement the National Council.  Addressing the international community, the statement authors write that the desire of the Azerbaijani authorities to legalize the monarchical system is contrary to international obligations of the country, in particular, the commitments to the Council of Europe and OSCE on the protection and development of the principles of democratic statehood. In this connection, the authors of the statement call on the democratic international community to condemn "attempts of Aliyevs family to  return Azerbaijan to the Middle Ages." The National Council calls on the public of the country to say "no" to these changes.

The statement by  "Real" Movement says that to get the country out of such situation fundamental governance reforms are required. "The proposed changes will not change anything, but on the contrary, will push the country into a deeper crisis, and will create additional risks and threats", "Real" believes. As soon as the time of referendum is scheduled, the "Real" will create a group to campaign against the amendments to the constitution,  reads the  statement.-03D-