Mehriban Aliyeva a new Vice President of Azerbaijan

Mehriban Aliyeva  a new Vice President of Azerbaijan

Dr. Jassim Taqui

The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has appointed his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva as the first Vice President – a newly-established position that would see its holder take over as a temporary leader if the president were to step down or prove unable to perform his duties.

Mehriban Aliyeva has been playing an important role in the social, political and cultural life of the country for many years.

Aliyeva is the first person to hold the post as Azerbaijan's first Vice President, as the position was only established through changes to the constitution, introduced following a 2016 referendum.

Aliyeva has held the position of deputy head of the country's main political party, the New Azerbaijan Party – led by Aliyev and founded by his father, Heydar Aliyev in 1992.

It is the largest political party in the South Caucasus. It has nearly 700,000 members. Aliyeva has also been an MP in the Azerbaijani parliament since 2005 and thus has politically matured for the new post.

Apart from her political activity, Mehriban Aliyeva has been in charge of promoting culture, education, and sports in Azerbaijan, as well as doing charity work. She heads the country's largest NGO, the Heydar Aliyev Fund.

Mehriban Aliyeva was born in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, in 1964. Graduating as a medical doctor, she also secured a degree in philosophy, defending a thesis on euthanasia.

She founded and served as the head of the 'Fund of Azerbaijan's Friends' for over two decades. She held a UNESCO goodwill ambassador and received the title of 'Woman of the Year' in her home country.