RFE/RL reports that the ruling YAP party in Azerbaijan has called for an end to the two-term presidential limit.

In October President Ilham Aliyev was re-elected with 88.7 per cent of the vote. As things stand, he is not eligible for re-election in 2013. However, RFE/RL reports that 95 of 99 parliamentarians have “asked the Constitutional Court to consider a referendum that would allow unlimited presidential term limits”. In an autocracy like Azerbaijan, it is difficult to imagine that such a polite request will be denied.

I have a colleague who has worked on the issue of when autocrats leave and do not leave power. This year in semi-presidential countries alone, we have seen term limits abolished in both Algeria and Cameroon. Azerbaijan now looks set to follow suit and my colleague will have another observation for his data set – I’m not sure if it will be a 0 or a 1!