President Ilham Aliyev has signed a constitutional law approving significant amendments to the Constitution of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, introducing new provisions regarding the powers of the Supreme Assembly and the Nakhchivan Cabinet of Ministers.
According to Report, the document introduces two new articles (Article 3-1 and Article 28-1) and repeals Article 5, while making various adjustments to several other articles and the Preamble. A key change involves the removal of references to the Treaty of Moscow (March 16, 1921) and the Treaty of Kars (October 13, 1921) from the Preamble. The new text explicitly states that the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is an integral part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, aligning it with Article 134 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan.
The amendments establish the "Authorized Representation of the President of Azerbaijan in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic" as an executive body performing duties defined by the head of state. Furthermore, the President of Azerbaijan now holds the authority to dissolve the Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan under specific conditions, such as a request by 31 deputies or an inability to fulfill constitutional duties. Additionally, the requirement for the Chairman of the Supreme Assembly to have resided in Nakhchivan for at least five years has been abolished, and local executive heads will now be appointed by the President of Azerbaijan based on the Chairman's recommendation.
The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is an exclave of Azerbaijan, bordering Armenia, Iran, and Türkiye. Established as an autonomous entity within Azerbaijan in 1924, its governance has undergone several structural shifts to ensure closer integration with the central government in Baku. These latest constitutional reforms aim to modernize the administrative framework, streamline the executive process, and reinforce the legal unity between the autonomous republic and the central authorities of Azerbaijan.
