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| Azerbaijan Parliament | |
|---|---|
| Name | Milli Majlis |
| Native name | Milli Məclis |
| Legislature | 6th convocation |
| House type | Unicameral |
| Foundation | 1918; re-established 1995 |
| Leader1 type | Speaker |
| Leader1 | Sahiba Gafarova |
| Party1 | New Azerbaijan Party |
| Members | 125 |
| Last election | 9 February 2020 |
| Meeting place | National Assembly Building, Baku |
| Website | Official website |
Azerbaijan Parliament is the unicameral national legislature of the Republic of Azerbaijan, seated in Baku and officially known as the Milli Məclis. It traces institutional roots to the 1918 Transcaucasian period and the modern constitution adopted in 1995, operating within the constitutional framework alongside the Presidency, the Cabinet, the Constitutional Court, and the Central Election Commission. The body enacts laws, ratifies international treaties, approves the budget, and exercises oversight functions while interacting with domestic institutions and international organizations such as the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and the United Nations.
The legislative tradition connects to the 1918 Azerbaijan Democratic Republic parliament and later Soviet-era bodies such as the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR before the post-Soviet Milli Məclis formation. During the collapse of the Soviet Union, the 1991 independence restored parliamentary structures influenced by drafts from jurists trained in Baku State University and advisers from comparative models like the French Fifth Republic and the Constitution of Germany (Basic Law). The 1995 Constitution of Azerbaijan codified the legislature’s current status; subsequent amendments in 2002 and 2009 adjusted term lengths and competencies, paralleling constitutional practices in states like Ukraine and Georgia. Key historical episodes intersect with conflicts such as the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and political events involving figures like Heydar Aliyev and Ilham Aliyev, shaping parliamentary composition, emergency legislation, and wartime mandates.
The Milli Məclis comprises 125 deputies elected for five-year terms, reflecting systems found in parliaments such as the Seimas and the Riigikogu. The Speaker, currently Sahiba Gafarova, presides over sessions and represents the chamber in forums including the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Constitutional powers include lawmaking, budget approval, declaration of war and states of emergency in coordination with the President of Azerbaijan, treaty ratification, and appointment-related checks analogous to practices in the Parliament of Finland and the Hellenic Parliament. Deputies form factions commonly associated with parties like the New Azerbaijan Party, as well as independent deputies who echo patterns seen in the Albanian Parliament and Moldovan Parliament.
Deputies are elected in single-member constituencies using a majoritarian voting system, similar to methods employed historically by the United Kingdom at constituency level and by elements of the French legislative election system. The Central Election Commission, modeled on commissions such as the Central Election Commission of Russia and advised by international observers from the OSCE/ODIHR, administers the process. Election laws have been amended following recommendations from bodies including the Venice Commission and after contested contests analogous to disputes in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. Campaign financing, candidate registration, and voter rolls involve institutions like the Ministry of Justice (Azerbaijan) and municipal administrations in Baku and other regions.
Bills may be initiated by deputies, parliamentary factions, the President, the Cabinet of Ministers, or citizens’ legislative initiatives that meet signature thresholds, reflecting practices comparable to the Russian State Duma and the Lithuanian Seimas. Draft laws undergo committee review, plenary debate, and three readings before becoming law; presidential assent and potential referral to the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan for review mirror procedures found in the President of France–Parliament interaction and the review powers of the Constitutional Court of Turkey. Ratification of international treaties follows established parliamentary procedures comparable to those in the National Assembly (France) for certain categories of agreements.
The Milli Məclis operates standing committees covering areas such as legal policy, economic policy, social policy, defense and security, foreign affairs, and international relations, analogous to committee systems in the European Parliament and the United States House of Representatives. Parliamentary factions, including representatives of the New Azerbaijan Party and unaffiliated deputies, coordinate legislative agendas and interact with diplomatic counterparts from delegations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization parliamentary assembly and bilateral groups with the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the State Duma.
Interaction with the President of Azerbaijan, the Cabinet of Ministers (Azerbaijan), the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the judiciary defines checks and balances comparable to systems in the Republic of Poland and the Czech Republic. The Milli Məclis participates in appointments to oversight institutions, ratifies judgments affecting state obligations, and cooperates with local executive bodies such as city councils in Baku and district administrations in regions like Ganja and Lankaran.
International organizations including the OSCE/ODIHR, the Council of Europe, and non-governmental groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have issued reports criticizing electoral transparency, media freedom, and restrictions on opposition activity, echoing concerns previously raised about parliaments in Belarus and Turkmenistan. Observers have recommended legal reforms consistent with standards from the Venice Commission and engagement with bodies like the European Commission for Democracy through Law to enhance pluralism, campaign finance transparency, and judicial independence, alongside bilateral dialogues with parliaments of states such as France, Germany, Turkey, and Azerbaijani diaspora organizations.
Category:Politics of Azerbaijan