According to Freedom House, the South Caucasus nation ranks among the least free countries in the world and “since the early 1990s, elections have not been considered credible or competitive by international observers.”
At least 13 independent journalists were detained ahead of the vote, and waves of arrests have seen opposition figures and critical academics jailed. Earlier this week, Amnesty International warned of “a widespread, coordinated assault on civil society and the rule of law” in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan, which is a major exporter of gas to the EU and has been hailed as a “crucial partner” by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will host this year’s COP29 U.N. climate talks.
Aliyev took power in 2003 from his father, Heydar Aliyev, who had governed the country as president since shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union.
While the Azerbaijani leader is yet to make a victory speech, he has already held telephone calls with friendly world leaders including Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko congratulating him on what the presidential press service describes as “his confident victory.” Pro-government news outlets report crowds taking to the streets in the capital, Baku, and other towns and cities to celebrate.
While the European Parliament was unable to send a delegation to monitor polling stations as it has in previous years, the chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s foreign affairs committee, Grigory Karasin, told local media the polls were being organized effectively and could even act as a model for Russia’s own presidential election later this year.