A photo of 6 presidential election candidates in Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani press)
Moscow
- The electoral campaign for the early presidential elections in Azerbaijan, scheduled for February 7, continues, amid competition between 7 candidates, while all indications indicate that the current president, Ilham Aliyev, is the most fortunate among them.
The reintegration of the Karabakh region constituted a historic achievement for President Ilham Aliyev. This is a significant addition to his already great chances of winning the early presidential elections against the rest of the candidates.
The seven candidates were approved by the Central Elections Committee to register their nominations out of 17. The committee refused to register the remaining 10 due to failure to submit candidacy applications within the time period specified by the law (until 18:00 local time on January 8 last year). ).
The list of candidates for the electoral race in the Caucasian Republic includes:
Current President Ilham Aliyev, who was nominated by the ruling New Azerbaijan party.
Radi Nurulayev from the National Front Party.
Ilshad Musayev from the Great Azerbaijan Party.
Qudrat Hasan Guliyev of the All-Azerbaijan Popular Front.
Fadel Mustafa for the “Great Order Party.”
Zahid Arouj, independent candidate.
Fuad Aliyev, former leader of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Current President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev (Getty)
Ilham Aliyev
He is the current president of Azerbaijan and the most likely to win the current elections. Born in 1961, he is the son and successor of the former President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, a former member of the Politburo of the Soviet Communist Party, and the third president of Azerbaijan.
From 1995 to 2003, Ilham Aliyev was a deputy in the Milli Majlis (Parliament). On August 4, 2003, based on a proposal from his father, Heydar Aliyev, the country’s parliament approved the election of Aliyev Jr. as Prime Minister of Azerbaijan (by 101 votes out of 102).
He then headed the country for four consecutive terms (2003, 2008, 2013, 2018), and his period of rule was described as stable and that he - to a large extent - continued the political path of his father.
During the years of his leadership, large projects in the field of oil and gas were implemented in Azerbaijan. In particular: the main export pipelines were launched: the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline (2006) and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline (South Caucasus Pipeline - 2007).
The reintegration of the Karabakh region late last September represented a historic achievement for Aliyev, and the fulfillment of the dream of unifying Azerbaijani lands that lasted for 30 years, which is considered a significant addition to his already great chances of winning the upcoming elections.
Zahid Uruj, a prominent politician and deputy in the Azerbaijani Parliament (Azerbaijani press)
Zahid Arooj
A prominent politician and member of parliament. He participated in the presidential elections in Azerbaijan in 2013 and 2018. In the first, he received 1.5% of the votes, and in the second, 3.1%.
On February 12, 2019, by decree of President Aliyev, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Azerbaijan Social Research Center.
In his first statement after his candidacy for the elections, he said that they (the elections) "are not only to choose the head of state, but also a vote for the new century of victorious Azerbaijan. We must ensure that February 7th becomes a continuation of the success of our glorious army."
Due to the provisions of the country's electoral law, Zahid Oruj was forced to suspend his activities as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Center for Social Research.
Radi Nurulayev, MP since 2020 (Azerbaijan News Agency)
Radi Nurulayev
A political figure, a member of Parliament since 2020 and leader of the National Front Party. He is running for the position of president of the country for the second time, and focuses in his electoral program on improving the living and social conditions of the family.
He says that the main line of his program is mother and child, and calls for establishing monthly child benefit allocations, in addition to reducing gas tariffs, lowering the retirement age by several years, and building “social homes” for low-income families.
Qudrat Hasan Guliyev, a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament (Azerbaijani Press)
Qudrat Hasan Guliyev
Statesman and political figure. Member of Parliament for 6 consecutive terms, and currently holds the position of Vice-Chairman of its Legal Policy and State Building Committee.
He is considered one of the most experienced presidential candidates, as he ran for the country's presidential elections 4 times. He was also elected Vice President of Parliament for 5 sessions. He is a strong supporter of strengthening close cooperation with Türkiye, Russia and Pakistan.
His electoral platform focuses on supporting the economy and trade, and he is known as a strong advocate of joining the World Trade Organization and regional economic organizations.
Elshad Musayev, leader of the “Great Azerbaijan” party (Azerbaijani press)
Elshad Musiev
The leader of the Great Azerbaijan Party is running for elections for the first time. He tried to run in the 2003 elections, but his candidacy was rejected.
He participates in the electoral race under slogans, the most important of which are: establishing the priority of law, equality for citizens, liberating what he considers “8 enclaves of Armenian occupation,” and “forcing” Armenia to sign a peace agreement.
It also demands the opening of the Zangzur corridor, ensuring the large return of Azerbaijanis to Karabakh, eliminating unemployment, and raising wages and child benefits.
In foreign policy, he sees the need to represent the country in all influential international and regional organizations, and refers separately to the Turkish federations and the Organization of Islamic States.
Fazil Mustafa, a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament for four consecutive terms (Azerbaijani Press)
Fadel Mustafa
Member of Parliament for four consecutive terms since 2005, he participated in the presidential elections in 2008, and came in third place with 2.43% of the votes.
In March 2023, he was subjected to an armed attack near his home after unknown assailants shot him with a Kalashnikov rifle. This was the first attempt to assassinate a deputy in Azerbaijan since 1996.
It demands a transition to a liberal form of government in which human rights are superior to state rights. He believes that the "roots of the problems" lie in the shortcomings of backward education.
If elected, he intends to radically change the management of the educational system and focus on women's education, abolishing tuition fees for girls, ensuring the independence of universities, increasing funding for the development of information and communications technology, and reducing the cost of the Internet.
Fuad Aliyev, former leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (Azerbaijani press)
Fuad Aliyev
The former leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Aliyev presents himself in the current elections as an independent candidate. He participated in the presidential elections in 2008, and came in sixth place, obtaining 0.77% of the votes.
He calls for strengthening national unity and electing a responsible government, and for the president to be a servant of the people, and calls for Azerbaijan’s neutrality and avoidance of blocs.
In his electoral program, he believes that the value of the human mind is higher than oil and gas, and calls for eliminating corruption, fighting high prices and monopolies, reducing taxes, paying attention to government care and providing decent wages, and the return of Azerbaijanis to West Azerbaijan; One of the 31 provinces of Iran. His slogan: “A rich citizen, a rich country.”
Source: Al Jazeera