(Baku) The Azerbaijanis began voting on Wednesday morning for a presidential election which should once again crown the authoritarian Ilham Aliev, freshly crowned by his military success in Nagorno-Karabakh and in the absence of any opposition.
Polling stations were open at 8 a.m. local time (11 p.m. Eastern time), noted an AFP journalist.
The president, who inherited power after the death of his father in 2003, holds the reins of this Caucasian oil country so firmly that no surprises are possible.
Voters have the choice between seven candidates, including Ilham Aliev. But none of the other figures represent an alternative and “all have supported the president in the recent past,” notes the OSCE in a report. Some even, during the campaign, praised the 62-year-old leader who “kept all his promises”.
The real opposition parties, crushed by years of repression, are boycotting this election, which they describe as a “farce”. As during the previous presidential election of 2018, moreover.
Ilham Aliev is riding high on his military victory against the Armenian separatists of Nagorno-Karabakh in September, putting an end to three decades of secessionism, marked by two wars.
The strong man of Baku can therefore boast of having “reunified” his country, a mission he had set for himself.
In January, Ilham Aliev explained that he had called this early election, initially scheduled for 2025, to celebrate the start of a “new era”.
The authorities insisted on the “historic” nature of the vote, which will be held in Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time since the early 1990s. The territory has, however, been emptied of its Armenian population.
“Worst of the worst”
Preliminary results are expected a few hours after the close of business at 10 a.m. ET.
For political analyst Ghia Nodia, no need to wait any longer. “Aliev will win.”
“There is no suspense in these elections without the slightest trace of competition,” he said.
Ilham Aliev collects overwhelming scores: 86% of the votes in 2018 and even nearly 89% in 2008, his record.
These elections are still denounced by international observers. In 2018, those of the OSCE denounced “serious irregularities”.
Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic of some 10 million inhabitants, is also accustomed to the bottom places in the rankings of human rights groups.
The American democracy promotion organization Freedom House ranks it among the “worst of the worst” in terms of civil liberties.
NGOs denounce the repression of the opposition, torture in prisons and arbitrary arrests, accusations rejected by the authorities.
In recent months, around ten journalists have been arrested in connection with legal cases that their supporters consider to be fabricated.
Ilham Aliev is also accused of taking advantage of the country’s hydrocarbon wealth to enrich his clan, which he disputes.
He named his wife, Mehriban Alieva, vice-president and his son could well succeed him one day.
The president has already given indications of what he plans to do with his fifth term. He explained in January that the country must remain “very vigilant” in the face of threats, even if the separatist chapter of Nagorno-Karabakh is now behind it.
He assures that he does not want a new war with Armenia, even if the peace negotiations between the two neighbors drag on and Yerevan is worried about the ambitions of this much richer and better armed neighbor.