By  Rita Chioma

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has appointed his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, as first Vice President, the latest move seen as tightening the family’s grip on the oil-rich Caspian nation.

The appointment follows constitutional changes made after a tightly-managed referendum last year that introduced the powerful position of first vice president, the second most senior official in the country.

Born into the powerful Pashayev family, Aliyeva has sometimes been seen as a possible successor to her husband, who took over in 2003 after the death of his father, Heydar, a former KGB officer and Communist-era boss.