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Election Date: October 16, 2008

At stake: President

Background

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, lawmakers in Azerbaijan voted to restore the area’s independence. Former Communist Party leader Ayaz Mutallibov became president, while Haidar Aliyev—who had coordinated the operations of the KGB in the region—took over as leader in the exclave of Nakhichevan.

A war broke out in the early 1990s between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The area is controlled by ethnic Armenians—who consider it an independent republic—but is claimed by Azerbaijan as part of its territory. The hostilities ended with an unofficial truce negotiated by Russia in 1994.

Aliyev took over as Azerbaijan’s president in 1993. The election was boycotted by Abulfaz Elchibey, who had substituted Mutallibov as head of state. A year later, three members of a special police force were arrested after two political assassinations. Aliyev said the incident amounted to an attempted coup, and declared a state of emergency.

In 1994, a Western consortium signed a $7.4 billion U.S. contract to develop Azerbaijan’s offshore oil and gas reserves. A pipeline that carries oil all the way to the Turkish port of Ceyhan began operating in May 2005.

In 1995, Aliyev’s New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) won a majority of the seats in the country’s first-ever multi-party legislative ballot. The contest failed to meet international standards, according to international organizations. The 1998 presidential election and the 2001 legislative election would also be criticized as "irregular" by observers.

In August 2002, voters supported a series of constitutional amendments in a referendum, as Aliyev seemed poised to seek a new term in office. The authoritarianism of the Aliyev regime was condemned by human rights organizations, and the Council of Europe chided Azerbaijan for holding political prisoners. Health problems forced the 80-year-old president to eventually withdraw from the contest.

In August 2003, the National Assembly appointed Aliyev’s son Ilham—who had already been registered as a presidential candidate—as the country’s prime minister. The younger Aliyev had served as the vice-president of Azerbaijan’s state-run oil company, and was elected as vice-president of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.

In October 2003, Ilham Aliyev was elected with 77.97 per cent of all cast ballots. The election was once again criticized by international monitors.

Click here for 2003 Azerbaijan Presidential Election Tracker

On Mar. 26, 2005, Aliyev was officially elected as the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) chairman. The opposition denounced his appointment as a violation of state laws stating that the president should have no party affiliation.

The 2005 ballot to renew Azerbaijan’s legislative branch was regarded as a key test for the former Soviet Republic, after fraud allegations led to power shifts in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

On May 11, 2005, Aliyev issued a decree outlining a series of measures meant to improve the democratic process. The policies included raising "the professionalism and competence" of election officials and conducting exit polls. No changes were implemented in the provision that sets the structure of the election commission, where the authorities hold a majority over the opposition.

The ballot took place on Nov. 6. Despite assurances from the president that the parliamentary elections would meet international standards for fairness and transparency, there were widespread reports of inappropriate or irregular activities during the campaigning period and on election day.

Officially, the ruling YAP party won 56 seats, while only six candidates from the opposition bloc—five from the Musavat (Equality) party and one for the Popular Front—were elected. Turnout was tabled at 42.2 per cent.

Click here for 2005 Azerbaijan Legislative Election Tracker 

Aliyev acknowledged that the elections may have fallen short of the democratic standard that he had pledged would be met.

On Nov. 10, in a conscious emulation of the "Orange Revolution" that forced a re-vote in Ukraine, opposition leaders draped themselves in orange along with some 15,000 supporters and took to the street peacefully to decry the official results.

The government, facing extensive protests within the country and intense international criticism, took steps to reverse some of the more obviously fraudulent results. Tallies for at least eight of the parliamentary elections were annulled as the government attempted to salvage credibility both for itself and for the electoral process.

The presidential election is scheduled for Oct. 16. Ilham Aliyev of the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) is seeking re-election.

Four candidates will run against the incumbent: Isa Gambar of the opposition Musavat (Equality) party, Sardar Jalaloglu of the Democratic Party, Mais Gulmammadov of the Green Party of Azerbaijan, and Eldar Namazov, head of the non-governmental organization Azerbaijan’s Public Forum.

The Musavat party is considering a boycott of the October ballot for what they see as lack of guarantees of a free and fair contest. In mid-April, 21 journalists went on a hunger strike to protest against media restrictions and lack of protection for reporters by the government.

On Apr. 29, U.S. state secretary Condoleezza Rice called democratic conditions in Azerbaijan "disappointing". Just three days later, U.S. president George W. Bush referred to the dangers of practicing journalism in Azerbaijan, saying, "In 2007, for the ninth consecutive year, China remained the world’s top jailer of journalists, followed by Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, and Azerbaijan."

Khazar Ibrahim, a spokesman for the Azeri Foreign Ministry, responded to Washington’s criticism, saying that top officials in the U.S. have been misinformed about certain issues. Inrahim declared: "There is an impression that in Washington they do not have a real picture of the region, which is very disappointing when you take into account the relationship of strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the USA."

On May 5, defence minister Safar Abiyev endorsed Aliyev’s re-election. Abiyev’s comment prompted a reaction by Mazahir Panahov, chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan, who said that people in the military should abstain from meddling in politics, declaring, "Despite that the representative of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have the voting right, they cannot interfere in policy."

On May 8, Britain’s minister for Europe affairs Jim Murphy expressed confidence in this year’s democratic process in Azerbaijan, saying, "Presidential elections in October will be honest, free and democratic and Azerbaijan involved into modern family of democratic countries. We were observing positive results concerning development of democracy and human rights in Azerbaijan." Murphy also urged the government to relax restrictions on freedom of expression ahead of the ballot, saying, "Freedom of word is an important basis for democracy and therefore, the country’s authorities should attach more attention to this issue."

On May 8, Lala Shovket, head of the Liberal Party, referred to the current state of affairs on the eve of the next election, saying, "There is an undeclared state of emergency in the country, we cannot hold rallies or speak on television."

The U.S. has pledged $3 million U.S. in technical support and media consulting in order to promote a fair democratic contest. The measure was opposed by several government officials and members of the opposition.

Fazil Gazanfaroglu, an opposition lawmaker, called for a close watch on Washington’s donation, saying, "I think that non-governmental organizations ought to control and monitor this initiative by the embassy of the USA so that government officials and members of the opposition who are close to them don’t share out the money amongst themselves. That’s what happened to the money allocated for the last election."

The president is elected to a five-year term by popular vote.

Legislative Branch: The Milli Meclisi (National Assembly) has 125 members, 100 members elected to five-year terms in single-seat constituencies, and 25 members elected by proportional representation.

Results of Last Election:

President - Oct. 25, 2003

National Assembly - Nov. 6, 2005

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