In a narrative that will sound strikingly familiar to fans of Netflix s political drama House of Cards , Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has appointed his own wife to serve as his vice president.

Mehriban Aliyeva became the ex-Soviet nations first-ever vice president on Tuesday, and she now stands next in line for the presidency.

The first lady-turned-VP was born into one the most powerful families in Azerbaijan, studied medicine and has held several leadership positions in various charities and organizations. She heads the Heydar Aliyev Foundation , a charitable foundation named after her husbands father, the former leader of Azerbaijan.

She was elected to the National Assembly of Azerbaijan in 2005, but reportedly attended parliamentary sessions very rarely and seemed uninformed about political issues , according to a diplomatic cable from the U.S. Embassy that WikiLeaks uncovered in 2010.