The Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev has made a shocking political move by appointing his wife, the first lady of the country as his political running mate and vice president.
The latest development comes after constitutional changes were made to the tightly managed referendum which introduced the position of the first vice president as the second most senior political officer in the country.
The appointment of Mehriban Aliyeva as the first vice president further solidifies the grasp of the president and his family on the oil-rich Caspian nation.
The 52 year old president who has been in power since 2005 on the Yeni Azerbaijan party political platform was born into the powerful Pashayev family.
The latest move has sparked indications that the first lady and first vice president may likely succeed her husband who took over power after the death of his father, Heydar, a communist-era boss who died in 2003.