Ilham Aliyev was reelected as President of Azerbaijan on Wednesday with 92 percent of the vote in a ballot held during a crackdown on independent media and with no real opposition. With a lack of political competition, serious electoral shortcomings and media restrictions overpowered Aliyev's win.
The win had been expected after Azerbaijan's historic victory over Armenian separatists last year.
The election "was not competitive," monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in a statement obtained by Barron's.
"While six other candidates participated in the campaign, none of them convincingly challenged the incumbent president's policies in their campaigns, leaving voters without any genuine alternative," the monitors said.
The vote "was held in a restrictive environment," with election day marred by "significant shortcomings," they added.
Monitors noted "issues of secrecy of the vote, a lack of safeguards against multiple voting, indications of ballot stuffing," raising "serious questions about whether ballots were counted and reported honestly."
The observers also said that "recent arrests of critical journalists have hindered the media from operating freely."
Aliyev received several congratulatory messages from leaders, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even calling him a "dear brother" before official election results were released.
According to Barron's, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky sent Aliyev a congratulatory message thanking him for "mutual support of our countries' sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Aliyev's office also said Russian President Vladimir Putin "congratulated Ilham Aliyev on his victory in the presidential elections and wished him success in his presidential activities for the development of Azerbaijan and the prosperity of our people."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Aliyev on his "enormous and indisputable victory," saying he is "looking forward to further strengthening the cooperation between Hungary and Azerbaijan, as well as Azerbaijan and the EU during the Hungarian EU presidency."
Aliyev ran against six other candidates, although none of the contenders challenged him or were critical of his rule.
What Brought On The Early Election?
BBC reported that Wednesday's vote was planned for 2025, but a snap poll was called after the government seized control of a region run by ethnic Armenian separatists.
Azerbaijan's lightning offensive in September brought an end to three decades of ethnic Armenian rule in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Most of its 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents fled to neighboring Armenian cities with some of the most senior officials in the breakaway territory were arrested and have been held in pre-trial detention in Azerbaijan for months.
Azerbaijani authorities regularly intensify their pressure on independent media outlets and have already arrested several critical journalists.
Human rights group Amnesty International accuses the authorities of repressing freedom of expression and targeting critical voices of the president.
Despite the perceived victory, Azerbaijan continues to fabricate false narratives about Armenia.
According to the Mirror Spectator, former Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan has shut down yet another Azerbaijani narrative about Ashtarak and its churches, stating that Baku is paving the way for fresh aggression against Armenia.
Nonetheless thousands of supporters took to the streets of capital Baku to celebrate Aliyev's reelection.
