Parliament calls for going to polls

A special parliamentary session convened Monday called on Azeris to take an active part in the nationwide poll on 24 August to amend the Constitution.

The session came after the parliament speaker complied with the proposal of 45 MPs to hold a special session.

In the debates joined by 52 parliamentarians, opposition MPs reportedly tried to stymie the passage of a resolution to authorize the referendum to introduce changes to the Constitution. However, other MPs championed the proposed constitutional amendments, saying a lot had changed since the adoption of the Constitution on November 12, 1995, as Azerbaijan had integrated into Europe and democratic reforms had got underway.*