I welcome you at the website of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Milli Majlis that has 125 members discharges the legislative power in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The tenure of parliament convocation is 5 years long.

The 6^th Milli Majlis was formed consequent to the election held on 9 February 2020. Whilst the representatives of 11 political parties were elected to the unicameral parliament, the majority of the seats are occupied by the New Azerbaijan Party, which is the leading political force of the society.

There are lauded political and public figures, scientists and specialists, people of letters and other cultural luminaries amongst the MPs; 22 of the MPs are women.

The Milli Majlis has in action 15 committees, 2 commissions and the working groups for relations with the parliaments of more than 80 countries.

The Milli Majlis founded the Chamber of Accounts of the Republic of Azerbaijan in order that it would oversee the parliamentary budgets.

Every year, the Milli Majlis hears the accounts, reports and information bulletins of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Chamber of Accounts, the Commissioner (ombudsman) for Human Rights, the government authority controlling the municipalities’ activities, the National Counter-Human Trade Action Co-ordinator and the government authority supervising the maintenance of the gender equality in the country.

The work of the Azerbaijani parliament is based on the principles of openness and transparency and the website that we now present to you is one manifestation of this approach. I am certain that the materials gathered on the website will help you better acquaint yourselves with the work and activities of the legislative authority of Azerbaijan.

Sahiba GAFAROVA
Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Speaker of the Milli Majlis

Sahiba Ali ghizi Gafarova

Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan since 10 March 2020.

Born in the town of Shamkir. Graduated cum laude from the Russian Language and Literature Department of the Azerbaijan Paedagogical Institute of Russian Language and Literature, and from the English Philology Department of the Languages University of Azerbaijan. Doctor of Philology, Professor. Honoured Teacher. Decorated with the Medal of Honour of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Also awarded the “Commonwealth” Order and the Medal “For Strengthening Parliamentary Co-operation” of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, the State Order of Turkmenistan “For Contribution to the Development of Co-operation”, and an Honorary Diploma and Medal of the University of Warsaw. Honorary Professor of the L. N. Gumilev Eurasian National University of Kazakhstan and of the Belarusian National University. Authored various textbooks and manuals, also monographs and dozens of scientific articles. Commands Turkish, English and Russian.

Worked as a secondary school teacher in the town of Shamkir during 1978–1981. In 1981–2020, she was Laboratory Assistant, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Professor of the Baku Slavic University, and Chaired the European Languages Department and was Vice-Chancellor for International Relations (pro bono during 2010–2020). Besides, she was Dean of the Western Languages Department at the Western University during 2000–2004. In 2006, she worked at the Institute for Gender Studies at the University of Michigan as part of the Fulbright Scholarship programme of the US Department of State.

Member of the ‘New Azerbaijan’ Party.

Member of the Milli Majlis of the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th convocations.

Deputy Chairwoman of the Milli Majlis Committee for Family, Women’s and Children’s Affairs during 2015-2020.

Member of the Azerbaijan Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during 2010-2020. She headed the following Committees of this Organisation: Sub-Committee against Racism and Xenophobia during 2012-2014 and Sub-Committee on Gender Equality during 2014–2015. In 2015–2017 she was Political Co-ordinator of the ‘Women Free of Violence’ network and Chief Rapporteur on violence against women, and in 2016–2018 headed the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Internally Displaced People and Member of the Bureau. She headed the Azerbaijan Delegation to the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly during 2018–2020.

She was elected Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the 6^th and 7^th convocations on 10 March 2020 and 23 September 2024, respectively.

Right now, Sahiba Gafarova leads the Azerbaijan Delegations to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, the CIS inter-Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Sahiba Gafarova chairs the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly.

Married, with two children.