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

The Milli Majlis that has 125 members discharges the legislative power in the Azerbaijan Republic. 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 Azerbaijan Republic 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
Chair of the Milli Majlis of the Azerbaijan Republic

The Chair of the Milli Majlis of the Azerbaijan Republic since 10 March 2020.

Mrs Gafarova was born in the town of Shamkir on 19 March 1955. She graduated summa cum laude from the Russian Language and Literature Chair of the Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute of the Russian Language and Literature as well as from the English Philology Chair of the Azerbaijan University of Languages.

Mrs Gafarova is PhD Philology and a Professor, and holds the title of Honoured Teacher. Mrs Gafarova authored a number of textbooks, instruction manuals, monographs and academic articles. She commands the English and Russian languages.

Mrs Gafarova worked as a secondary school teacher in the town of Shamkir during 1978-1981. In 1981-2000, she was a research assistant, teacher, head teacher, assistant professor and professor at the Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute of the Russian Language and Literature as well as Dean of the Western Languages Chair at the Western University. She was a professor with the European Languages Chair of the Baku Slavonic University before proceeding to lead that Chair and then to serve as the BSU Pro-rector for International Relations during 2000-2020 (the pro-rectorial position was held pro bono during 2010-2020). Mrs Gafarova worked at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan in 2006 under the aegis of the U.S. Department of State Fulbright Scholarship Programme in 2006.

Mrs Gafarova is a member of the New Azerbaijan Party, and was a Member of the Milli Majlis of the Azerbaijan Republic of the fourth and fifth convocations.

Mrs Gafarova chaired the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Subcommittee against Racism and Xenophobia in 2012-2014 and the Subcommittee on Gender Equality in 2014-2015. She further served as a political co-ordinator of the Parliamentary Network Women Free from of Violence as well as the chief speaker on the prevention of violence against women during 2015-2017. In 2016-2018, Mrs Gafarova was a member of the PACE Bureau and Chair of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. Besides, she headed the Azerbaijani delegation to the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly in 2018-2020.

At present, Mrs Gafarova heads the delegations of Azerbaijan to the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries and to the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

Mrs Gafarova is married and has two children.