Azerbaijan to hold snap parliamentary election in September
- 2 July, 07:11
Azerbaijan will hold a snap parliamentary election on September 1 after the Constitutional Court’s decision to dissolve the parliament on June 28. Azerbaijani MPs had applied to the Constitutional Court to approve the legality of dissolving parliament a week ago.
Signing a decree to dissolve the parliament and hold a snap parliamentary election, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on June 28 that the move was aimed at ensuring the elections did not overlap with the COP29 climate conference, due to take place in Baku on 11–22 November 2024.
On June 21, the Milli Majlis requested the president to schedule early parliamentary elections, following the proposal from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) made at the June 20 meeting.
Constitutional Court Chairman Farhad Abdullayev announced the court’s decision, confirming the constitutionality of the parliament’s resolution. The court ruled that the June 21 resolution and the subsequent dissolution of the Milli Majlis by the president comply with Article 981 of the Basic Law. The resolution is final and comes into effect immediately, without the possibility of cancellation, amendment, or official comments.
Azerbaijan last held parliamentary elections in 2020, with the ruling New Azerbaijan Party winning 70 of 120 seats, while independent candidates and small opposition parties secured remaining seats.
Parliamentary elections were previously scheduled to be held in 2025.
It should be noted that in line with Article 981 of the Azerbaijani Constitution, the president can dissolve the Milli Majlis under specific conditions: if the same convocation of the Milli Majlis expresses no confidence in the Cabinet of Ministers twice within a year, fails to appoint necessary candidates to the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and Central Bank after two presidential submissions, or for unavoidable reasons, fails to perform its duties as outlined in Articles 94, 95, parts II, III, IV, and V of Article 96, and Article 97 of the Constitution.
