Political Analyst: Azerbaijani president's son open playboy unlikely to lead long

Ilham Aliev, the son of ailing president Geidar Aliev, could hardly hold on to power in Azerbaijan for a long period of time, said Director of the CIS Institute Konstantin Zatulin today on radio station 'Echo Moskvy.' 'The political reality today in Azerbaijan is that Geidar Aliev can transfer power to whomever he chooses, for example his son. It is another matter whether or not his son Ilham Aliev could hold power for a long period of time and us it effectively,' he said. Zatulin said that according to the particularities of his character and experience, Ilham will have a difficult time battling the many ambitious politicians in Azerbaijan, many of which have already expressed an interest in the post of president. 'In Azerbaijan as in any Eastern country it isn't important how they vote but how they count,' said Zatulin. He said the Ilham Aliev is very different from his father. 'Ilham is an open playboy, a person who has ended up in a number of scandals from losing large amounts of money in casinos. But the question is different. How long will people loyal to Geidar Aliev help Ilham,' said Zatulin.