Azerbaijan Citizens Cast Votes in Recent Election – Latest Global Update
Azerbaijanis Head to the Polls for Early Presidential Elections
On April 11, people in Azerbaijan went to the polls for early presidential elections to elect the new president who will rule the country for the next 7 years. A total of 7 candidates were in the running, including the current President Ilham Aliyev, who is seeking re-election.
Voting began at 8:00 am local time and ended at 7:00 pm. A total of 6,500 ballot boxes were set up at home and abroad for the presidential election. The latest data shows that there are 6.5 million registered voters in the country. Azerbaijani citizens living abroad were able to cast their votes in ballot boxes set up in Azerbaijani embassies in their respective countries.
The election is being monitored by approximately 800 foreign and 90 thousand local observers from various international organizations and countries, as well as 200 foreign journalists. In addition to President Aliyev, the other candidates in the election include the Chairman of the National Front Party Razi Nurullayev, the Chairman of the Great Establishment Party Fazıl Mustafa, the Chairman of the Great Azerbaijan Party Elşad Musayev, the Chairman of the All Azerbaijan People’s Front Party Kudret Hasanguliyev, and the independent candidates Zahid Oruç and Fuat Aliyev.
According to an exit poll by the British news agency Reuters, current President Ilham Aliyev received 93.9 percent of the votes.
In a historic move, ballot boxes were also established in the regions of Azerbaijan that were recently liberated from Armenian occupation. This meant that for the first time in 30 years, elections were held in all lands of Azerbaijan. The 22 thousand voters in these regions, including the symbol city of Shusha and Khankendi, the capital of the separatist Armenian administration, participated in the election.
The last presidential election in Azerbaijan was held on April 11, 2018. President Aliyev had decided to hold early elections on February 7, 2023. President Aliyev, along with his wife Mehriban Aliyeva and their children, cast their votes at the 14th election center of the 122nd election district in Khankendi, the largest city of Karabakh, which was liberated from the occupation of Armenian forces.
