Azerbaijan Is Accused of Building a Monarchy

Mehriban Alieva, the wife of Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliev was recently appointed as the country's Vice President–a position created by the referendum in 2016; ✅ "People do understand that this is not a democracy;" ✅ Azerbaijan's constitution has been changed three times in the last fifteen years to ensure that power stays in the family; ✅ "The world has been tolerating all these anti-democratic moves of the government...So why would Ilham Aliev not do that if the world is silent?" Mehriban Alieva, the wife of Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliev was recently appointed as the country's Vice President–a position created by the referendum in 2016. While some citizens have protested the de jure monarchy in the country, investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova says that citizens are scared and therefore accept what is happening in their country. "There is no room for the activity of civil society...People do understand that this is not a democracy," she explains. Azerbaijan's constitution has been changed three times in the last fifteen years. "The referendum served to cement the power of the Aliev family," says Ismayilova. Aliev Jr. and Sr., together with Mehriban Alieva, are making sure that power stays in the family: "We are not speaking about the ruling team in Azerbaijan, we're speaking about the ruling family." Ismayilova says that the international community is partially responsible for accepting the referendum results and not imposing sanctions on Ilham Aliev for his continuous violations of political and human rights. "The world has been tolerating all these anti-democratic moves of the government...So why would Ilham Aliev not do that if the world is silent?"