Benazir Bhutto, Indira Gandhi and now Mehriban Aliyeva

By Azer HASRET, @azerhasret

Azerbaijan is witnessing new trends and intensive reforms the last years. The country`s economy is rapidly growing, new buildings and highways are built. New plants and workplaces are opening even every week. The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev now emerges as a new era reformer leader. Indeed he has taken the country very far from that, which was in chaos at the beginning of 90s of the 20th Century.

Ilham Aliyev`s country now is most developing, most stable and most reliable to live. People coming from around the world every time are surprised seeing how rapidly the country is changing.

Azerbaijan`s jobless people`s scale is under 5% while some 20 years ago it was above 50%. Or poverty rate is below 5% as well while it was again above 50%.

Country`s population has grown to 10 million as well. It was around 7 million at the beginning of independence – early 90s.

Instead of partly being occupied by neighboring Armenia and having around 1 million refugees and IDPs Azerbaijan is building new life for every citizen – every person.

Now the country is in crossroads of the East and the West, of the South and the North. All important onshore (partly offshore) routs are crossing through Azerbaijan linking Europe to Far East – China and others.

Under the leadership of the President Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijan became a hub for very important international meetings. Even NATO and US military leadership and Russian military representatives continuously choose Azerbaijan`s capital Baku for very important close meetings and consultations.

President Ilham Aliyev made Azerbaijan a member of space family having 3 space stations on the highs above our planet.

Multiculturalism and tolerant society building is state policy implemented successfully in Azerbaijan. All 3 major religions – Islam, Christianity and Judaism are developing in this country side by side in very friendly atmosphere.

While Ilham Aliyev started to rule the country in 2003 not so many people around were confident about his successes. To rule and develop a country which is continuously threatened and occupied partly by aggressive neighbor – Armenia must not be so easy for even very experienced leader. But Ilham Aliyev managed with the situation, housed hundreds of thousands refugees and IDPs, built economy and even liberated some parts of lands from Armenian occupation. The country has to solve Armenian occupation in full yet, but this is not an obstacle to country`s development due to Ilham Aliyev`s very successful leadership.

Alongside with the President Ilham Aliyev the country and the world is witnessing grow of female leader of Azerbaijan. This is Mehriban Aliyeva, The First Vice-President of Azerbaijan.

Some 3 years ago the country didn`t have vice-president, as the Constitution didn`t oversee this opportunity. As in 2016 Azerbaijani people voted in a referendum to change the major law of the country now the president has an opportunity to appoint even the first vice-president.

In the fall of 2018 Azerbaijan was going to presidential elections. But the President Ilham Aliyev decided to step down early and launch new election in early spring – April 2018. He was absolutely confident that the people of Azerbaijan will vote for him again. Because only he was that leader who brought the country so far to the new stage of very successful development. Indeed the people of Azerbaijan voted for him on April 11, 2018 and Ilham Aliyev von the election with absolute majority of votes cast. More than 80% of voters wanted him to continue to rule the country. He had renewed confidence of his nation.

After having Constitutional changes in 2016, Ilham Aliyev appointed Mehriban Aliyeva as The First Vice-President of Azerbaijan.

Mehriban Aliyeva assumed the office on February 21, 2017. But was she new to the politics? Or was she new even on the public? Not of course.

Before coming to the Vice-Presidency Mehriban Aliyeva was very popular and successful world female leader. She was and stays as a President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is acting worldwide to bring more happiness to people in different countries.

Or she is a chairperson of Azerbaijani Culture Friends Foundation and the President of Azerbaijani Gymnastics Federation with many more successes.

Mehriban Aliyeva was recognized for her contributions to peace worldwide and served as a goodwill ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO.

The First Vice-President of Azerbaijan – new era female leader Mehriban Aliyeva arises as very successful politician. She is a friend of children, or sport lover. She is a person who never keeps an eye away from the problems of people. She is widely loved inside and outside of country. Even the world leaders see her as a strong female leader of our century.

The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin invited her a month ago to visit his country. And Mehriban Aliyeva was the only vice-president to be received by the President of Russia.

The Vice-President of Azerbaijan deserves attention not just for only being a female leader. She is emerging new female leader in the East after past female leaders in this part of the world. She is arising after very famous Pakistani female politician Benazir Bhutto and Indian leader Indira Gandhi. They both were very positively assessed on the world as well. As they are not on the stage now, the East needed to have new female face of political leadership and Mehriban Aliyeva of Azerbaijan is very suitable successor of this mission.

By the way, Azerbaijan is going to early parliamentary elections. Ordinary it had to be conducted on November, 2020. But the parliament dissolved itself early December in order to support reforms of President Ilham Aliyev. Now the nation is going to vote for on February 09, 2020. We are witnessing that new generation politicians with Western education and new skills are moving candidacy for parliament membership. Even ruling New Azerbaijan Party has moved candidacy of those answering new calls and challenges. And there are many MP candidates which served for good in the different teams of The First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva. So the people of Azerbaijan are happy to meet these new faces in the parliament. Seems that Azerbaijan is stepping up to new stage of development after February 09, 2020 and Mehriban Aliyeva is in a forefront of this stage. The world has to be ready for meeting new female leader of the East after Benazir Bhutto and Indira Gandhi.