Azerbaijan to hold referendum on Constitution in March

The referendum on amendments and additions to the Constitution of Azerbaijan will take place on March 18, 2009. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that this decision was passed today by the country's parliament.

Nizami Khudiev, Deputy from the ruling Party "Eni Azerbaijan" (PEA), has treated the proposed amendments, in particular, cancellation of the restriction on election of one and the same person to be president for more than two terms in a row, to be a sort of "social order". However, he has stressed that "there is no alternative to Ilham Aliev." He is successfully continuing Geidar Aliev's political course, Mr Khudiev has added.

Besides, as the Deputy has noted, the introduction of this amendment becomes actual also in view of the fact that "Azerbaijan is in the state of war."

Fazail Agamaly, leader of the Party "Ana Veten" (Fatherland), said that the people do not support the opposition, which is against the amendments in the Constitution. As confirmation of his words he gave the fact that on December 24, when the issue was discussed by the Constitutional Court, "6 parties failed to hold a picket of 10 persons."

Deputy Chairman of the PEA Ali Akhmedov has noted that if the nation elects one and the same person to be its president two times, it is an indication of the society's trust in the head of the state. Therefore, it is necessary to give the population an opportunity to elect this person as its president for the third and subsequent times.

Meanwhile, Gudrat Gasanguliev, leader of the Party of the People's Front of United Azerbaijan, has criticised the fact that the amendments to the Constitution were not discussed in advance not only with the oppositional parties, but even by the Political Board (PEA).