Afghan Press Author: Ima Kabiri

Season of election in Azerbaijan started with posters everywhere on walls around the city of Baku. The posters remind me of those I saw in Tehran before each election. Azerbaijan president “Ilham Aliyev” also had some posters up, just a photo of himself and a short phrase that identifies himself as candidate.

Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev was born in Baku as the son of Heydar Aliyev, who was made head of the Azerbaijani KGB. He became a party leader for Azerbaijan and full member of Politburo. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ilham worked as a businessman in Moscow and Istanbul from 1991 to 1994.

In that time, media was spreading of his lifestyle allegedly involving gambling and women, and heavy debts to a Turkish casino owner. His father, Heydar Aliyev was reportedly unhappy at his son’s image as a playboy and the harm he felt this would do to his son’s prospects of succeeding him. Heydar Aliyev ordered the closure of all casinos in Azerbaijan in 1998.

In October 2003, Heydar Aliyev, suffering failing health, stepped down as president and in a controversial move, appointed his son, an independent candidate, as his party’s sole presidential candidate.

The October 15, 2003 elections gave victory to ?lham Aliyev, who earned 76.84% of the votes. However, the domestic opposition refused to accept the results and staged mass protests. The protests were due to alleged corruption and staging of elections. Hundreds of demonstrators were beaten, and later arrested. Aliyev took office on October 31, despite opposition complaints. The U.S. government supported Aliyev’s election.

On March 26, 2005 Aliyev was officially elected as the ruling New Azerbaijan Party chairman. The opposition denounced this as a violation of state laws, because according to the law on political parties, the president should have no party affiliation.

For the second time Azerbaijan’s presidential election campaign opened officially on 17th. September 2008 and was running until October 14, the day before the balloting. President Ilham Aliyev, in office since 2003, was set to win a second term of five years, on the strength of economic growth at world-record rates in Azerbaijan.

Seven candidates were expecting to ran for presidency at the 15 October presidential elections including Ilham Aliyev, chairman of Ruling New Azerbaijan Party, Igbal Agazade, chairman of opposition Umid (Hope) Party, Fazil Gazanfaroglu, chairman of Great Establishment Party, Gudrat Hasanguliyev, chairman of Unified Popular Front Party, Hafiz Hajiyev, chairman of Muasir Musavat Party, Fuad Aliyev, chairman of Liberal Democrat Party and independent candidate Gulamhuseyn Alibayli.

All Aliyev loyalists who were candidates as well were certainly not intended to win. Aliyev’s only problem was how to dress up his anticipated victory if the opposition was refusing to take part!

One of the six candidates opposing Aliyev, Fazil Gazanfaroglu, had already congratulated the incumbent president as the winner but the five-member opposition coalition that boycotted the vote had no comment about the election’s conduct.

Earlier polls were saying, Aliyev was almost certain to gain a second term, extending his presidency for another five years.

NGOs were monitoring the vote reported a similarly high turnout. PACE and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office of Democratic Institution and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) had welcomed Azerbaijan’s decision to invite a large number of international observers to the election.

The election watchdog said there were 1,258 international observers from more than 60 countries or international organizations during the election in the South Caucasus country.

Voting started for Azerbaijan’s presidential election on Wednesday with current President Ilham Aliyev expected to win his next term. Along with Aliyev, six other candidates were also competing for the office. A number of 5,359 constituencies have been formed and 4.8 million voters were registered to vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).

Polling stations across the country opened at 8:00 a.m. and were due to close at 7:00 p.m. The opposition has said to boycott the voting but it started quietly when polls opened across the country.

According to some Azeri Citizens Ilham Aliyev did a good job in the last five year and they appreciate him for that, so they voted for Aliyev.

“It was the most passive election in Azerbaijan’s history,” commented Emin Huseynov, chairman of Baku’s Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, a media watchdog organization. “During the 2005 parliamentary elections, polling stations were crowded, but this time we did not observe that.”

Observation group of local NGOs watched the vote at 40 polling stations. Observers said minor violations had been revealed, but they were not affecting the result of the vote. Those are technical problems. Agitation materials of the presidential contenders were found at several polling stations,” said the papers.

Ilham Aliyev won 89.04% of the votes. Happy President Aliyev supporters are totally aware of the fact that Azerbaijan is a vital player in the global village. Rich in oil and gas, playing between Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan is strategically-important to the west. This former Soviet state has taken its time to emerge from years of communist control. But the recent surge in oil prices has finally produced mushrooming middle class supporters.