POLITICS

Nazim IMANOV

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Nazim Imanov, D.Sc. (Econ.), professor, Editor-in-Chief of Kavkaz & Globalizatsia (Baku, Azerbaijan)

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Introduction

The country leaders and the elite were quite satisfied with 2005; they were even elated about it; the opposition and the analysts close to it, on the other hand, were very negative. There were practically no neutral opinions—political polarization in Azerbaijan has obviously reached a high point. The parliamentary election, the first nationwide campaign after Ilham Aliev was elected president in 2003, determined the year’s political importance. In addition, on the very eve of the election, some of the Western powers, particularly the United States, readjusted their foreign policy priorities. This was followed by deep-cutting political changes in some of the CIS countries, primarily Ukraine and Georgia. This naturally left its imprint on Azerbaijan’s political life.

The Government

Late in March, the State TV and Radio Company was transformed into a private limited liability company, though the state remained the only shareholder. More than that: the state will retain a controlling interest even when some of the assets are privatized. The change in the Company’s legal status, however, agrees with the planned privatization of public property. In future, this may help to withdraw the Company from the government’s monopoly control.

On 30 May, the president signed a document which set up a commission designed to bring the educational system into harmony with………………

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