Parliamentary commission approves President’s initiative on diminishing his own salary

A joint Monday meeting of the parliamentary permanent commissions on legal policy and state building discussed the President’s initiative on five-times decrease in his own salary.

Under article 209.2 of the draft law on changes to Election Code, a document submitted to the Milli Majlis (parliament) envisioned diminishing the salary of President Ilham Aliyev from three thousand to six hundred part of the minimum salary. Ali Huseynov, chairman of the commission on legal policy, has told journalists that the minimum salary in the country made up 27.500 manats during the discussions of the Election Code (EC) in May and June.

However, under the decree issued by ex-President Heydar Aliyev this August, the minimum salary was increased up to 45.000 manats from September 1. The same presidential decree also envisions an increase in salaries up to 60.000 manats starting in January of 2004.

Thus, the presidential monthly salary has been diminished from $27.000 to $5.400, while it will reach 36m manats ($7.200) in 2004.

Though Ramiz Ahmadov, who was against the decrease in the presidential salary, stated that five-times cut of the salary was not right, the commission members made a unanimous decision to submit the document to the parliamentary approval.*