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Azerbaijani autocrat Ilham Aliyev casting his vote
Photo: AFP
In Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev is unsurprisingly heading for the expected overwhelming majority in his re-election. The head of state scored almost 94 percent in the voter survey after voting, the Oracle Advisory Group institute said on Wednesday. Human rights groups spoke of a presidential election that was neither free nor fair. Government officials rejected that, saying Aliyev's popularity had increased since winning the war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The 62-year-old has ruled the oil-rich country since 2003, when he succeeded his father Haydar. As a result of a constitutional referendum in 2009, his term of office is unlimited. The two largest opposition parties see the election as undemocratic and have decided not to put forward their own candidates. Criticism also comes from international democracy activists. Ten journalists have been arrested since November, and critics see this as further evidence of the silencing of an independent press.
The government in Baku attributes the West's accusations to bias against its Muslim population. Next November, Azerbaijan will host the world climate conference COP29. The country's energy resources are central to Europe's plans to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
When the Soviet Union dissolved, Azerbaijan lost a lengthy war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Last year his army was able to conquer the independent region. For neighboring Armenia, the collapse of Nagorno-Karabakh is a tragedy; almost all 120,000 ethnic Armenians fled the enclave to Armenia.
aka/Reuters