The Milli Majlis committees for public associations and religious entities, and for law policy and state-building held a joint online meeting on 23 December.

Opening the meeting, Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis and Chairman of the Committee for Public Associations and Religious Entities Fazayil Ibrahimli first congratulated all the participants on the remarkable victory of our Army that had crowned the 44 days of combat for liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani lands. Mr Ibrahimli emphasised that the prevalence of the triumphant Azerbaijani Army was the result of the successful diplomatic moves of President and Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. At the same time, it is a defeat of the Armenian Lobby and the circles siding with the Armenians in various countries and a triumph of justice, Mr Ibrahimli pointed out.

Then, the meeting participants discussed draft amendments to the Law ‘On Political Parties’ in the first reading.

First Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis and Chairman of the parliamentary Committee for Law Policy and State-Building Ali Huseynli spoke of the essence of the amendments in question. He said that they would be put in the law’s Article 17-1 ‘Allocation of State Budget funds to political parties’. Mr Huseynli recalled the assembled that funds were released from the State Budget to political parties every year. As per the current edition of the law, ’10 per cent of the monies allocated from the State Budget shall be distributed pro rata amongst those political parties that collect at least 3 per cent of verified votes but are not represented in the Milli Majlis’. It is proposed, to eliminate certain lacunas in this area, to reduce the said share from 10 per cent to 5 per cent with the other 5 per cent of the same amount to be allocated to the new parties represented in the Parliament in accordance with the party affiliations of their MPs having won repeat elections or by-elections.

Besides, the amendments contain means of eliminating a shortage of funds that might develop in enacting the law. Furthermore, the Bill envisages lengthening and shortening the lists of MPs representing political parties and sets the timing of funds recalculation in the event that new parties enter the Milli Majlis. Pursuant to the document, should a political party or parties decline the State Budget allocation, the corresponding share(s) are not to be withdrawn but would be distributed on par amongst the parliamentary parties at the end of the fourth quarter of a given year.

The MPs Jeyhun Mammadov, Anar Iskandarov and Sahib Aliyev commented on the tabled issues. In their shared opinion, the new legislative amendments would greatly strengthen the ties between the State and political parties and make the workings of the latter yet more efficient.

In the end, it was decided to submit the Bill to the Milli Majlis for the first reading.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis