After counting almost all the ballots, the current head of the republic, Ilham Aliyev, wins the presidential election in Azerbaijan. The voter turnout was almost 77%.
According to the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission, after counting 93.4% of the ballots, Aliyev gained just over 92% of the vote. He is followed by independent candidate Zahid Oruj with 2.2%, and the rest of the candidates have even less. The two main opposition parties refused to participate in the elections due to their undemocratic nature.
The CEC will present the final results on Friday, February 9. After that, the commission will submit the documents to the Constitutional Court, which will declare the candidate elected and schedule the inauguration ceremony.
The elections were supposed to be held next year, but Aliyev postponed them amid a surge in his popularity after Azerbaijan regained control of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Aliyev has been in power since 2003, succeeding his father Heydar Aliyev, who had been president for the previous decade. Currently, the president is elected for seven years, with no limit on the number of presidential terms. This is Aliyev's fifth election in a row. In the previous ones in 2018, he received 86% of the vote.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Ilham Aliyev on winning the presidential election in Azerbaijan.
Congratulations to @presidentaz Ilham Aliyev on his reelection, and best wishes for continued success and productive work for the benefit of the people of Azerbaijan. I value mutual support for our states' sovereignty and territorial integrity.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 8, 2024
We appreciate Azerbaijan's…
Aliyev has already received a phone call from Putin congratulating him on his convincing victory in the presidential elections.
