head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 26 November 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term; election last held 11 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2003); prime minister and first deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly
election results: Heydar ALIYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Heydar ALIYEV 77.6%, Etibar MAMEDOV 11.8%, Nizami SULEYMANOV 8.2%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NAP and allies 108, APF 6, CSP 3, PNIA 2, Musavat Party 2, CPA 2, APF "traditionalist" 1, Compatriot Party 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Azerbaijan Party
[Abutalyb SAMADOV]; Azerbaijani Democratic Party or ADP [Sardar
JALAL]; Azerbaijani Independent Democratic Party or AMDP [Leyla
YUNUSOVA]; Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KERIMOV, leader of
"reform faction"; Mirmahmud FATTAYEV, leader of "traditionalist"
faction]; Civic Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic
Union Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA
[Ramiz AHMADOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA-2 [Firudin
HASANOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Enlightenment
Party [Mammadhanifu MUSAYEV]; Democratic Party for Azerbaijan or DPA
[Ilyus ISMAILOV and Rasul QULIYEV, co-chairman]; Democratic World
Party of Azerbaijan [Mamnad ALIZADE]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan
[Lala Shvkat HAJIYEVA]; Motherland Party [Fazail AGAMALI]; National
Congress Party of Azerbaijan [Ihtiyar SHIRIN]; National Movement
Party [Samir JAFAROV]; National Statehood Party [Sabir
TARIVERDIYEV]; Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; New Azerbaijan Party
or NAP [Heydar ALIYEV, chairman]; Party for National Independence of
Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar MAMMADOV, chairman]; People's Democratic
Party of Azerbaijan or PDPA [Rafig TURABKHANOGLU]; Social Democratic
Party of Azerbaijan or SDP [Zardusht ALIZADE, chairman]
note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties