Azerbaijan MPs ask president to dissolve parliament

Azerbaijani lawmakers on Monday appealed to the president to dissolve parliament and call snap elections, in a surprise move that followed the prime minister's resignation a month ago.

Members of the current parliament, which is dominated by President Ilham Aliyev's Yeni Azerbaijan party, backed the appeal urging its own dissolution by 99 votes to one.

At the moment, the next parliamentary elections are scheduled for October, 2021.

But under the terms of the constitution, early elections have to be held 60 days after the legislature is dissolved by a presidential decree.

Yeni Azerbaijan's executive secretary Ali Ahmedov told journalists last week that "parliament's composition needs to be renewed as part of the reforms that are being carried out by President Aliyev".

He gave no further explanation for his statement, which followed a cabinet reshuffle nearly a month ago.

In October, the then prime minister Novruz Mammadov tendered his resignation in a surprise move.

Aliyev appointed Ali Asadov, a technocrat and close ally, as his replacement.

With most powers concentrated in the hands of the president, parliament has a limited role in the country's political system.

The president has ruled the oil-rich ex-Soviet Caspian state with an iron fist since he was first elected in 2003, after the death of his father, Azerbaijan's Soviet-era Communist leader and former KGB general Heydar Aliyev.

Under the Aliyev dynasty, Baku has faced strong international criticism for silencing dissent and opposition media.