Azerbaijan Holds a Referendum Marred by Violations. Does Anyone Care Anymore? · Global Voices
▻https://globalvoices.org/2016/09/29/azerbaijan-holds-a-referendum-marred-by-violations-does-anyone-care-an
Children growing up in post-independence Azerbaijan are mandated to take a class on the oil-rich country’s ever-changing constitution, but lessons on the document mostly take the form of recitals, with critical reading and discussion discouraged.
Perhaps that is why at least 70% of Azerbaijan’s electorate turned out to support almost unanimously 29 constitutional amendments that further empowered reigning President Ilham Aliyev in a September 26 referendum, notably granting standing presidents mega-terms of seven years instead of five.
Or, perhaps there were other more underhanded reasons for such a ringing endorsement of the corrupt ruling family and their bid to rejig Azerbaijan’s political system to suit their needs for a third time since 2002?
