Dates of last and next legislative elections:  2000/2005

Head of state: President Ilham Aliyev

AT THE LAST ELECTION

Azerbaijan became an independent democracy amid war with Armenian forces in the early 1990s. A lasting solution to tensions is elusive. The YAP, in power since 1995, was controversially reelected in 2000. It supported the aging, and visibly ailing, President Heydar Aliyev, through two consecutive terms and backed the succession of his son Ilham in 2003. The latter's election was heavily criticized by the opposition, which organizes frequent demonstrations.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004