Azerbaijani President to Stay in Hospital

Aliev is in "serious but stable condition," a doctor at the hospital said Wednesday on condition of anonymity. He did not elaborate.

Aliev had a heart attack in 1987 and underwent bypass surgery at a Cleveland clinic in 1999. A former KGB general, Aliev was elected president of Azerbaijan in 1993 and again in 1998.

The Azerbaijani leader has insisted he will run for for a third term this year, but he has begun to lay the groundwork for his son, Ilham, to succeed him by giving him an increasingly visible role in the country.

Ilham Aliev is first vice president of the state oil company, chairman of the country’s Olympic committee and deputy chairman of his father’s political party, Yeni Azerbaijan.