the outgoing president candidate for re-election in a vote without suspense

Azerbaijanis are called to the polls on Wednesday February 7 for the presidential election. In this country, which is one of the most repressive in the region according to the NGO Human Rights Watch, the result should not be a surprise, since President Ilham Aliev is preparing to succeed himself.

The only suspense lies in the scale of the plebiscite he will grant. In a country where he has muzzled the media, imprisoned his opponents and where he had the constitution modified to be able to run for an unlimited number of mandates, Ilham Aliev intends to consolidate his dynasty. Heir to his father, Heydar Aliev, still omnipresent on the posters covering the country, Ilham Aliev has already predicted that his son would make a good successor. He appointed his wife as first vice-president and is therefore preparing to extend a mandate already a quarter of a century long.

Ilham Aliev intends to consolidate his dynasty

The opposition boycotts the vote which it describes as a democratic farce. It is true that the other 6 candidates are only opposed in name. But if he stifles all freedom, Ilham Aliev also enjoys a certain popularity, firstly because the oil and gas windfall has been somewhat redistributed to the population, especially because he conquered Nagorno-Karabakh, of which the Armenian population had to flee last September.

A military victory that the country had been waiting for for 30 years. The president is also pleased that the vote is taking place throughout the country, including Nagorno-Karabakh. He intends to open a new era. For NGOs, it will be very similar to the previous ones, marked by repression and corruption.