Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev
has appointed his wife Mehriban to the role of first vice
president, according to a decree published on the presidential
website on Tuesday.
The decree did not specify what duties 52-year-old Mehriban
Aliyev would have in her new post although the constitution
states that the first vice president will deputise for the
president while he is out of the country.
The posts of vice president and first vice president - a
more senior position - were introduced last year after a
constitutional referendum cleared the way for the president's
powers to be devolved if he becomes incapacitated.
The referendum also extended the presidential term from five
to seven years. An earlier vote had scrapped term limits for the
presidency.
The other vice-presidential post remains vacant.
European institutions and rights bodies accuse the Azeri
authorities of curbing free expression. Azeri officials deny
these accusations.
Ilham Aliev came to power in 2003, replacing his father
Heydar, who ruled the oil-rich country since 1993.
