(CNN) The position of vice president didn't exist in Azerbaijan's constitution. If something were to happen to the President, the power would shift to the Prime Minister.

But President Ilham Aliyev clearly wants to keep his dynasty's rule intact in the ex-Soviet country.

He ordered a referendum last year to create a veep role -- and this week, appointed his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, to it.

The September referendum, by the way, also extended his own term from five to seven years. And it scrapped the age requirement for a president -- a move that critics say may be intended to pave the way for the couple's 19-year-old son.

According to the CIA Factbook , corruption in the country is widespread, and the government has been accused of authoritarianism.

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