Experts' poll respondents: fight on corruption should be priority in reforming Azerbaijani state administration

War on corruption should be the priority direction in reforming the system of state administration in Azerbaijan. This is the opinion the experts' polling held by the Centre for Economic and Political Studies on the topic "What reforms should be undertaken in Azerbaijan in the system of state administration and how to increase the efficiency of such reforms?"

The poll was held among 100 respondents, namely: 19 MPs, 54 NGO leaders, 4 state servants, 2 workers of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, 9 university teachers, 10 journalists and 2 businessmen.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that on January 27, at the presentation of the study held at the Baku Media Centre, political scientist Rasim Musabekov, head of the project, reported that two thirds of the respondents believed that "the system of state management is at a low level, and a quarter of them - that on the medium level." And only 4 participants of the poll stuck to the opinion that the state management in the country is at a high level.

The respondents have rather highly estimated the political stability in Azerbaijan. However, in their opinion, this stability is based not on the consensus and efficient functioning of political institutes, but on the force superiority of the power over its opponents.

According to Mr Musabekov, 80 respondents ranked the fight on against corruption as a priority direction of reforming the state management.

In the opinion of the participants of the poll, corruption in Azerbaijan is clearly expressed, while counteraction is very weak. "In the country, state bureaucrats are broadly involved in business, protectionism, extortion, and abuses in the system of state purchases and state orders. The level of transparency in the system of state management is insufficient," Rasim Musabekov has noted.

Among the measures able to increase the efficiency and quality of state management, the overwhelming majority of respondents (71 persons) offered the real independence of the judicial system and democratic elections into bodies of state power. The third element noted by the experts was the periodic reporting of power bodies before citizens on their work. The country needs a radical renovation of its top personnel, the respondents assert.

In the opinion of Alimamed Nuriev, coordinator of the Anticorruption Network of Azerbaijani NGOs, the government takes certain steps towards fighting against corruption.

Mr Nuriev said in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that positive changes are observed in supporting transparency when recruiting to civil service, and in the area of increased access to information.

At the same time, Alimamed Nuriev indicated to the remaining problems in judicial bodies, police, in particular, in traffic police and public health services. "In 40 percent of real estate sale transactions people have to make unofficial payments (bribes) to have their title certificates issued," he said.