Azerbaijan Parliament Speaker Highlights Role of Technology in Strengthening Parliamentary Institutions
Baku, The Gulf Observer: Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova has highlighted the importance of digital transformation in strengthening parliamentary institutions while emphasizing that technology cannot replace accountability, political dialogue and effective institutional structures.
Gafarova made the remarks in an online address to the 4th International Workshop of Academics and Parliamentarians, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, under the theme “The Role of Parliaments in the Face of Technological Transformation, Political Fragmentation and the Crisis of Democratic Confidence.” The event was organized by the Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC).
The Speaker said the Milli Majlis was consistently working to improve its legal and institutional framework while expanding the use of digital tools in parliamentary activities.
She noted that electronic document management, electronic voting and legislative monitoring systems were being actively utilized to enhance the efficiency of parliamentary processes. She added that recently adopted legislative acts had established a comprehensive legal framework for holding public discussions and parliamentary hearings in electronic format.
According to Gafarova, Azerbaijan has also successfully coordinated its policies in the fields of digitalization, e-government, artificial intelligence and innovation through the Digital Development Council, chaired by First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva.
The Speaker stressed that digitalization plays a significant role in enhancing transparency and accessibility within parliamentary institutions. At the same time, she underscored that technological advancement should complement rather than replace the fundamental principles and functions of parliamentary governance.
“Technology can under no circumstances replace accountability, political dialogue and strong institutional structures,” Gafarova emphasized.
She said the effective integration of technology into parliamentary processes should therefore be accompanied by strong institutional mechanisms and continued commitment to accountability and democratic dialogue.
