AZE.US
Azerbaijan has been urged to reconsider the personal details displayed on national identity cards, with experts proposing that citizens be allowed to choose which parent’s name appears on the document.
Current Azerbaijani identity cards list a citizen’s first name, surname and patronymic, which is derived from the father’s name. The mother’s name is not displayed. The practice has prompted public debate, with some citizens describing it as outdated and unfair to mothers.
Gender issues expert Maryam Majidova said the existing system largely reflects an administrative tradition inherited from the Soviet era. Similar patronymic conventions remain in use in several other post-Soviet countries.
According to Majidova, some members of the public view the absence of the mother’s name as unequal treatment of parents. She noted that adding maternal information to official records would not in itself conflict with Azerbaijan’s Constitution.
In many countries, information about both parents is held in government databases even when it is not printed on the face of an identity card. Azerbaijan could likewise expand the data stored in its registration systems or allow citizens to decide which parent’s name to use in their documents.
Zahid Oruj, chairman of the Azerbaijani parliament’s Human Rights Committee, said including the mother’s name could simplify certain legal and administrative procedures. He stressed, however, that no formal initiative to change the current system has yet been introduced.
Oruj said a reform would require more than a legislative amendment. Government portals and Interior Ministry registration systems would need to be updated, while the design of identity cards might also have to change. The process would therefore require time and technical preparation.
One proposal under discussion would end the mandatory use of one parent’s name and leave the choice to the citizen. After reaching adulthood, a person could decide whether to use the father’s name, the mother’s name or no parental name at all.
For now, the idea remains part of an expert and public discussion. Azerbaijan has not announced an approved decision or introduced a specific bill to redesign identity cards.
AZE.US