Azerbaijan Begins Presidential Election Voting
Azerbaijanis Head to Polls to Elect New President for 7-Year Term
Azerbaijanis across the country and abroad are participating in the presidential elections to choose the leader who will govern the country for the next 7 years. A total of 7 candidates are vying for the position, including the current President Ilham Aliyev, who is seeking re-election.
Voting commenced at 08:00 local time, with 6,500 ballot boxes set up both domestically and internationally for the presidential election. The latest data indicates that there are 6.5 million registered voters in the country. Azerbaijani citizens residing abroad will have the opportunity to cast their votes at ballot boxes located in Azerbaijani embassies in their respective countries.
The election is being closely monitored by approximately 800 foreign and 90 thousand local observers from various international organizations and countries. Furthermore, around 200 foreign journalists, in addition to the local press, are covering the event.
Voting is set to conclude at 19:00 local time.
The candidates running in the election include the current President Aliyev, Razi Nurullayev, Fazıl Mustafa, Elşad Musayev, Kudret Hasanguliyev, Zahid Oruç, and Fuat Aliyev.
Notably, ballot boxes have been established in the regions that were recently liberated by Azerbaijan from Armenian occupation, marking the first time in 30 years that elections are being held in all lands of Azerbaijan. More than 22 thousand voters in these liberated regions will have the opportunity to participate in the election.
The previous presidential election in Azerbaijan took place on April 11, 2018. President Aliyev had called for early presidential elections on February 7, leading to the current electoral process.
