Something about this seems familiar…MPs in the oil-rich state of Azerbaijan voted yesterday to transfer power from the ailing 80-year-old president Haydar Aliyev to his son, a reformed playboy.
Days after reports that the president could be near death in a Turkish hospital, his son, Ilham, 41, was voted in as prime minister, and heir apparent, at an emergency parliamentary session.
The move was passed by 101 out of 125 deputies. Some opposition members boycotted the vote, as part of its push for President Aliyev to resign.
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Prime minister Aliyev is a graduate of Moscow's elite diplomatic institute, and the deputy head of both Azerbaijan's state oil company and its ruling party.
He is said to have matured since his youth, when he built a vivid reputation for losing fortunes in casinos. more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1012479,00.html