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speech, Aliyev praised himself for his
accomplishments in office. He referred to salaries rising by a factor of eight in the last 15 years (though important professions, such as teachers, continue to earn as little as $100 a month) and a tripling of the size of the country's economy in the same timeframe. "We have had a decent path, a path of triumphs and success. I am confident that we will always move forward on the path of success. Towards new triumphs!” he concluded.
Country’s authoritarianism “more deeply entrenched than ever”
In its most recent report on freedom
in the world published on April 11, watchdog Freedom House gave Azerbaijan one of the worst possible scores – 6.93 out of 7 (with seven being the worst) for democracy, corresponding to a consolidated authoritarian regime. In the report, Freedom House noted: "Authoritarianism in Azerbaijan became more deeply entrenched than ever in 2017, as the state apparatuses took a number of17u5nx1p4r4e-ceOdL.epndtfed s1tep1s0t/o04l/i2m01it8
freedom of expression, silence critics at home and abroad, and crack down on minority communities for political gain. Rather than undertake long-needed governmental or economic reforms, the ruling elite responded to a persistently weak economy by further suppressing government critics, fighting behind- the-scenes battles over shrinking state resources, and emptying state coffers on international lobbying efforts."
Furthermore, Aliyev's appointment of his wife Mehriban as first vice president in February 2017 was an indication that his control over the country has strength- ened considerably, the report noted. "The consequences of this personaliza- tion of the state are already being felt: independent media outlets suspected that the March large-scale attacks on their websites, which eventually led to
a complete blockade, were instigated by [Mehriban] Aliyeva’s displeasure at their coverage of her appointment."
Several high-profile corruption 11s:c1a3nAdMals involving Azerbaijan, such
Eurasia I 59 as the 'Azerbaijani Laundromat', also
unravelled last year, prompting Europe's human rights organisation, the Council of Europe, to conduct an internal investigation into how Azerbaijan bribed its members to win favourable votes. Azerbaijan has given ever stronger indications that its leaders no longer care about international criticism, Freedom House concluded, which explains why Baku has overextended its reach and arrested journalists and bloggers in
third countries.
Looking ahead, Freedom House expects Aliyev to resort to diversionary tactics, like an escalation in the territorial conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno- Karabakh region, in order to rally public support in 2018. Furthermore, while
the Azerbaijani economy will benefit from slightly higher oil and gas prices and from the inauguration of a new
gas pipeline, the improved economic activity is unlikely to trickle down to the population, its report concluded.
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