The referendum on constitutional amendments has gotten underway Monday in Azerbaijan.

There are 29 points on the respective ballots, according to Contact.az news agency of the country.

The preliminary results of the plebiscite will be known late in the evening. The official results will be announced by no later than October 21.

A total of 53 thousand local observers, who primarily represent pro-government institutions, and 117 international observers are registered to monitor the referendum.

Pursuant to the draft constitutional amendments submitted by President Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijan President’s term in office shall be extended from five to seven years. In addition, the country will have a First Vice President as well as other vice presidents, whom the President will appoint and dismiss. Furthermore, the President will be given powers to conduct early presidential election. The document also provides for lifting the minimum age limit for presidential candidates. In addition, these constitutional amendments will enable the President to dissolve the Azerbaijani parliament.

The Azerbaijani opposition believes that these amendments pave the way for the younger members of the Aliyev family to come to power. These constitutional proposals were criticized also by numerous international organizations, especially the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) of the Council of Europe.