President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has called for snap parliamentary elections to be held on September 1.

This decision, announced on Friday, follows a decree by Aliyev ordering the dissolution of the current parliament, which is dominated by his New Azerbaijan Party.

The New Azerbaijan Party, which currently holds 69 of the 125 seats in the legislature, is expected to secure a new majority. President Aliyev, who has been in power since 2003 and recently won his fifth presidential term in February, is seen as maintaining a strong grip on the oil-rich country's political landscape.

Azerbaijan's parliament requested the early elections to avoid coinciding with the United Nations climate change summit, COP29, which the country will host from November 11-22. The Constitutional Court approved the request on Thursday, despite criticism from opposition parties.

International observers have previously raised concerns about the integrity of Azerbaijan's elections, citing issues with ballot counting and the suppression of political opposition. Critics argue that opposition deputies in parliament face persecution, with independent journalists and political activists arrested ahead of the recent presidential election.

The snap elections come in the wake of a successful military operation in September, where Azerbaijan regained control of the former breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh from ethnic Armenian forces. President Aliyev has emphasized this victory, as Baku plans to rebuild and resettle the region with Azerbaijanis.

Despite its reliance on fossil fuel revenues, Azerbaijan continues to attract interest from Western energy firms, including BP, and remains a participant in the OPEC+ pact to control oil output and stabilize global prices. The upcoming elections are not expected to significantly alter the composition or influence of Azerbaijan's parliament, where power is heavily concentrated in the presidency. (ILKHA)