President Ilham Aliev, in power since 2003, unsurprisingly reappointed for a fifth term

The authoritarian President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev, in power for two decades and crowned by his military success in Nagorno-Karabakh, was unsurprisingly re-elected on Wednesday February 7 for a fifth term, with more than 90% of the vote. according to partial results.

Mr. Aliev, 62, who inherited power after the death of his father in 2003, received 92.1% of the votes at the end of the vote in which the opposition was absent, according to these partial results covering 54.5 % of polling stations.

Thousands of the president’s supporters celebrated the victory on Wednesday evening in the streets of the capital, Baku.

Turnout was 67.7%, head of the Central Election Commission Mazakhir Panakhov said at a press conference.

Voters had a choice of seven candidates, including Ilham Aliev. But none of the other personalities represented an alternative and “all supported the president in the recent past”, noted the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Some even, during the campaign, praised Mr. Aliev who “kept all its promises”.

The real opposition parties, crushed by years of repression, boycotted this election, which they described as ” prank call “as during the previous presidential election of 2018.

A “new era” after the Nagorno-Karabakh military operation

Ilham Aliev is riding high on his military victory against the Armenian separatists of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, which put an end to three decades of secessionism marked by two wars. The strong man of Baku can therefore boast of having “reunited” his country, the mission he had set for himself.

In a symbolic gesture, President Aliev and his family slipped their ballots into the ballot box in Khankendi, the main city of Nagorno-Karabakh – called Stepanakert by Armenians. Azerbaijani polling stations opened there for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, giving the vote a “historical”welcomed the head of the Central Election Commission.

At a polling station in Baku, the capital, Chatalia Abbassova, a 68-year-old retiree, said she voted for the outgoing president because he “realized our dream, liberated the occupied territories”.

In January, Ilham Aliev explained that he had called this early election, initially scheduled for 2025, to celebrate the start of a ” new era “ after the successful military operation.

“I know that many will vote for Aliyev today, because he liberated Karabakh. I am grateful to him for that, but there are fundamental problems in the country that remain unresolved.”, estimated another resident of Baku, Ismet Baguirov. This 32-year-old information technology specialist said he decided not to vote, “because there are no alternative candidates” to Mr. Aliyev.

Elections without any suspense

For political analyst Ghia Nodia, there was no “no suspense in these elections without the slightest trace of competition”.

Ilham Aliev collects overwhelming scores: 86% of the votes in 2018 and nearly 89% in 2008, his record. However, these elections are still denounced by international observers. In 2018, those at the OSCE reported “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 succeed him one day.