Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 14th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview Main Conference Theme Author(s) Alikram Abdullayev Academy of Public Administration under President of Azerbaijan Baku Azerbaijan Afkan R. Isazade, Associate Professor of Academy of Public Administration Title Municipal system in Azejbaijan: The concept of self-government and democratic institutions File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Abstract As regards the specific area of interest within my field of study in the meantime the project I am working on is named "Municipal System in Azerbaijan: The Concept of Self-Government and Democratic Institutions". The mentioned project is describing a new and very important isssue, which reflects the development of democracy in Azerbaijan and implementation of Western ideas and institutions. Meanwhile, the system of self-government has to be developed and modified in order to meet the requirements of modern civilization and become libirated from the old system of centralized local government, which was a part of central system of Soviet administration. The Anglo-Saxon system of Self-Government is a best way for implementation of modern ideas of local self-government in Azerbaijan. Local self-government is the key concept in local government studies. It expresses one of the most important aspects of local governance and democracy. Local government can be seen as an institutional and democratic system used in determining the political processes and their outputs at local community level according to the principles defined both in communities and their wider socio-political contexts. In the Worldwide Declaration of Local Self-Government given by IULA, Article 2, the concept of local self-government is defining in the following way: "1. Local self-government denotes the right and the duty of local authorities to regulate and manage public affairs under their own responsibility and in the interests of the local population. 2. This right shall be exercised by individuals and representative bodies freely elected on a periodical basis by equal, universal suffrage, and their chief executives shall be so elected or shall be appointed with the participation of the elected body." It has been said that local government is the level of government closest to the citizens. In the context of democratic society this means that citizens are able to determine the scope of local public activities and general principles of government. The administrative and political practices should, then, be outcomes of local political processes. The third category of concepts can be described by words like local administration, service provision and welfare of residents. These indicate the "substance" of local government activities, and shed light on the range of activities of local government, and also of why local government is important for us. Each of us has some first-hand experiences of services provided by local authorities. Especially in European welfare societies, local authorities play an important role in providing public services and facilities. The system of government in Azerbaijan should be so organized that the citizens of all regions can participate in the national affairs. It is, therefore, essential that power and authority be transferred from central level to provincial level and from provincial level to the elected local bodies. People want to see the elected local governments strong, effective and respected. It is therefore, necessary that the elected local bodies be allowed to exercise greater authority and financial independence in line with other developed countries of the world. Constitutional protection has to be given to the local self-government system. All major cities including Baku, Ganja, and Sumgayit need to be given the status of Autonomous Metropolitan Corporation as it is elsewhere in the world. For the establishment of effective local bodies, it is essential to hold elections in accordance with the stipulated terms of the Constitution of Azerbaijan.
