Abstract
LaPorte examines the dynamics of semi-presidentialism in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s regime is a curious hybrid, in which semi-presidential institutions operate in the larger context of authoritarianism. The author compares formal Constitutional provisions with the practice of politics in the country, suggesting that formal and informal sources of authority come together to enhance the effective powers of the presidency. In addition to the considerable formal powers laid out in the Constitution, Azerbaijan’s president also benefits from the support of the ruling party and informal family and patronage networks. LaPorte concludes by discussing the theoretical implications of this symbiosis between formal and informal institutions in Azerbaijan’s semi-presidential regime.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
It is unclear on when and why the position title was changed. Most sources use the terms interchangeably with little further explication. Some imply the position was closely connected with the establishment of a presidency. Bulakbasi (2011, p. 160), for example, notes that Hasanov “became Mutallibov’s Prime Minister.” Wikipedia suggests that Hasanov’s position switched from Chairman of the Council of Ministers to Prime Minister on February 7, 1991, coinciding with the convocation of the new, directly elected Supreme Soviet on February 5. This suggests that the prime minister position was closely linked to the calling of multiparty elections, and the inauguration of the new Soviet, but documentary evidence is scant.
- 2.
Fish (2003: 200) describes super-presidentialism in more detail as including “an apparatus of executive power that dwarfs all other agencies in terms of size and the resources it consumes; a president who enjoys decree powers; a president who de jure or de facto controls most of the powers of the purse; a relatively toothless legislature that cannot repeal presidential decrees and that enjoys scant authority and/or resources to monitor the chief executive; provisions that render impeachment of the president virtually impossible; and a court system that is controlled wholly or mainly by the chief executive and that cannot in practice check presidential prerogatives or even abuse of power.” Fish (2005, p. 205) further clarifies that these categories are not mutually exclusive; a regime may be simultaneously semi-presidential and super-presidential.
- 3.
Parliamentary elections also occur every 5 years but in the off years between presidential elections.
- 4.
All deputies of the Milli Majlis and the Supreme Court have equal powers in this realm. In each case, bills are “submitted . . . for discussion and put to vote the way they are presented. The changes in the draft laws shall be introduced by consent of the organ that has used the right of legislative initiative” (Article 96).
- 5.
Heydar Aliyev established the ruling YAP in 1991 to support his return to power. It functions much as the Communist Party did during the Soviet era—as an organizational, mobilization, and administrative support for the ruler. The party enjoys significant access to state administrative and financial resources. Membership in the YAP is a precondition for state employment.
- 6.
Author’s Interview, February 2009, Baku, Azerbaijan.
- 7.
As elaborated further below, Jalal Aliyev fell from grace in 2005. However, as a member of the Aliyev family, he is effectively immune from prosecution and continues to hold a parliamentary seat.
- 8.
Author’s interview, February 2009, Baku, Azerbaijan.
- 9.
Author’s interview, February 2009, Baku, Azerbaijan.
- 10.
Author’s interview, March 2009, Tbilisi, Georgia.
- 11.
The following discussion draws on the insights of the International Crisis Group’s 2010 report, “Azerbaijan: Vulnerable Stability.” Political experts also shared much of this information with me during personal interviews in Azerbaijan in 2008–2009.
- 12.
Talibov and Eyyubov are brothers-in-law. Their wives are siblings.
- 13.
The 1995 election gave Heydar Aliyev a “handpicked parliament” (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe 1996). Observers lamented after the 2000 election, “the vote count was completely flawed” (OSCE/ODIHR 2001). In 2005, the government demonstrated “a failure to ensure equitable conditions for all candidates,” while “the election day process deteriorated progressively during the count and, in particular, the tabulation of votes” (OSCE/ODIHR 2006). By 2010, election monitors sounded a note of despair: “the conduct of these elections overall was not sufficient to constitute meaningful progress in the democratic development of the country” (OSCE/ODIHR 2011).
References
Abbasov, Shahin. 2011. Azerbaijan: Foundation finances renovations at Versailles, Strasbourg. Eurasianet, August 26. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav082709a.shtml.
Aide: Draft Constitution Provides for Presidential Republic. 19 Oct 1995. Moscow Interfax. Foreign Broadcast Information Service.
Bulakbasi, Suha. 2011. Azerbaijan: A political history. London: I.B. Tauris.
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. 1996. Azerbaijan’s November 1995 Parliamentary Election.
Cornell, Svante E. 2011. Azerbaijan since independence. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Darden, Keith. 2008. The integrity of corrupt states: Graft as an informal state institution. Politics & Society 36(1): 35–60.
De Waal, Thomas. 2003. Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through peace and war. New York: New York University Press.
Easter, Gerald. 1997. Preference for presidentialism: Postcommunist regime change in Russia and the NIS. World Politics 49(2): 184–211.
Elgie, Robert. 1999. The politics of semi-presidentialism. In Semi-presidentialism in Europe, ed. Robert Elgie, 1–21. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fish, M. Steven. 2003. The impact of the 1999–2000 parliamentary and presidential elections on political party development. In The 1999–2000 elections in Russia: Their impact and legacy, ed. Vicki L. Hesli and William M. Reisinger, 186–212. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Fish, M. Steven. 2005. Democracy derailed in Russia: The failure of open politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Further on Acting President’s New Appointments. 10 Apr 1992. Moscow Interfax. Foreign Broadcast Information Service.
Gasanov ‘Freed’ from Duties as Prime Minister. 6 Apr 1992. Moscow Interfax. Foreign Broadcast Information Service.
Grzymala-Busse, Anna. 2010. The best laid plans: The impact of informal rules on formal institutions in transitional regimes. Studies in Comparative International Development 45: 311–333.
Hale, Henry. 2005. Regime cycles: Democracy, autocracy, and revolution in post-Soviet Eurasia. World Politics 58(1): 133–165.
Heinrich, Andreas. 2010. The formal political system in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan: A background study. Working paper, Forschungsstelle Osteuropa, Bremen.
Horton, Scott. 2000. Law reform in Azerbaijan: Snapshot in a time of transition. In Caspian conference report: Succession and long-term stability in the Caspian region. http://belfercenter.hks.harvard.edu/publication/2031/caspian_conference_report.html.
International Crisis Group. 2004. Azerbaijan: Turning over a new leaf? Europe Report No 156, Baku/Brussels.
International Crisis Group. 2010. Azerbaijan: Vulnerable stability. Europe Report No 207, Baku/Brussels.
Kamrava, Mehran. 2001. State-building in Azerbaijan: The search for consolidation. The Middle East Journal 55(2): 216–236.
Kendall-Taylor, Andrea. 2012. Purchasing power: Oil, elections and regime durability in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Europe-Asia Studies 64(4): 737–760.
Nichol, James. 1996. Azerbaijan. In Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Country studies, ed. Glenn E. Curtis. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.
Official Comments on New Constitution, Nagorno-Karabakh. 19 Oct 1995. Baku TURAN. Foreign Broadcast Information Service.
OSCE/ODIHR. 2001. Election observation mission final report: Republic of Azerbaijan, parliamentary elections, 5 November 2000 & 7 January 2001, Warsaw.
OSCE/ODIHR. 2006. Election observation mission final report: Republic of Azerbaijan, parliamentary elections, 6 November 2005, Warsaw.
OSCE/ODIHR. 2011. Election observation mission final report: Republic of Azerbaijan, parliamentary elections, 7 November 2010, Warsaw.
Radnitz, Scott. 2012. Oil in the family: Managing presidential succession in Azerbaijan. Democratization 19(1): 60–77.
‘Reins of Government’ Pass to Aliyev. 18 June 1993. Baku TURAN. Foreign Broadcast Information Service.
Shugart, Matthew Soberg, and John M. Carey. 1992. Presidents and assemblies: Constitutional design and electoral dynamics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Siaroff, Alan. 2003. Comparative presidencies: The inadequacy of the presidential, semi-presidential and parliamentary distinction. European Journal of Political Research 42: 287–312.
Swietochowski, Tadeusz. 1995. Russia and Azerbaijan: A borderland in transition. New York: Columbia University Press.
Valiyev, Anar. 2002. Referendum in Azerbaijan: Next victory of Azeri President. The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, September 9. http://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/7016-analytical-articles-caci-analyst-2002-9-11-art-7016.html.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
LaPorte, J. (2016). Semi-presidentialism in Azerbaijan. In: Elgie, R., Moestrup, S. (eds) Semi-Presidentialism in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-38781-3_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-38781-3_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-38780-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-38781-3
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)