Referendum on Constitutional changes ends in Azerbaijan

Polling stations closed at 19.00 p.m. local time here on Monday, Sept. 26, as the citizens of Azerbaijan voted to decide on constitutional changes, according to the country's Central Election Commission.

Polling stations across Azerbaijan opened at 8 a.m. on Monday. Turnout was about 70 percent, which amounts to 3,671,707 people, Election Commission said.

Citizens of the country voted on a package of changes to Azerbaijan's Constitution, proposed by the President Ilham Aliyev earlier on July 18.

Security cameras have been installed at 1,000 polling stations in 119 constituencies across the country to observe the processes on the day of voting. The number of polling stations was 5,600 and there were about 10 observers in each polling station.

Some 117 foreign observers representing 35 countries and various international structures and organizations have been accredited to monitor the vote. The overall number of observers was 53,000.

The voter turnout in the referendum in Azerbaijan has reached 66.8 percent, according to the results of the exit poll held by French Research Company OpinionWay at 152 polling stations in 118 constituencies, Deputy Managing Director of the company Bruno Jean Bart said during the press conference in Baku on Monday.

He pointed out that about 80% of Azerbaijani respondents backed the extension of powers of the President from five to seven years, according to the public survey.

The main notable amendment to Azerbaijani Constitution is the establishment of the Institute of Vice Presidency in Azerbaijan. The amendments also provide for the extension of the Presidency term from 5 years to 7 years and reduction of the age limit for becoming a member of the Parliament from 25 to 18.

It was also proposed to add an article on dissolution of Parliament, responsibilities of municipalities, human rights and freedoms.

In a speech to the media, Ali Hasanov, National Adviser to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of Department on Social Political Issues of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Republic, said that necessity to amend the country' s Constitution is associated with the fundamental changes in the socio-political, socio-economic and cultural life Azerbaijan during the last 7 years, as well as political and economic processes, taking place in the region and the world.

According to Hasanov, Constitutional changes include the improvement of the basics that protect human rights and freedoms, the formation of an effective and flexible mechanism of public administration, strengthening the executive power, improving economic management mechanism to ensure the efficiency and consistency of the economic reforms, creation of additional state guarantees of security, stability in the society.

"This initiative is aimed at improving governance and creation of a wider framework for the protection of human rights and freedoms, deepening reforms and ensuring their effectiveness," a political aide to President Aliyev said.

Azerbaijan' s Constitution was adopted on November 12, 1995. It was first amended through referendum on August 24, 2002 and last time on March 18, 2009. The amendments introduced in 2002 were establishing the Prime Minister as the second person in the country after the President and the abolition of the proportional election system. Endit