Page 58 - bne_Magazine_May_2018_print

58 I Eurasia bne May 2018
Ilham Aliyev casts his vote in the snap presidential election. president.az.
No surprises as Azerbaijan's Aliyev wins fourth presidential term with landslide
bne IntelliNews
President Ilham Aliyev won a landslide victory in the snap presidential election in Azerbaijan on April 11 in what was essentially a foregone conclusion.
His victory was made clear by prelimi- nary results issued by the country's cen- tral election commission (CEC). Thus, Aliyev received 86% of the votes
based on a count of 92% of the ballots, Mazahir Panahov, chairman of the CEC, announced in a press conference. Aliyev ran virtually unopposed. He has spent his past 15 years in office sidelining potential adversaries.
Aliyev will continue his presidency with an extended fourth term until 2025. Following the results of a referendum in 2016, he now enjoys even greater pow- ers than before, and is poised to appoint a family member, likely his son or his wife, to succeed him.
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Critics believe that the seven opponents that were allowed to run in the contest – the CEC did not accept the applications of seven other, better-known opposition politicians – are in essence puppets
In power since his late father passed away in 2003, Aliyev has ruled the country with an iron fist, centralising power in his hands and those of his family, ensuring that all the country's
“Aliyev received 86% of the votes based on a count of 92% of the ballots”
affiliated with Aliyev and the govern- ment. None of them won more than 3.11% of the vote, according to prelimi- nary results.
Over time, Azerbaijanis have accepted the fact that Aliyev is the only alternative, and even find excuses for him, blaming the widespread corruption in the country on those around him rather than on the president himself.
institutions come under political control, amassing a large amount of wealth, silencing critics – the use of ‘official’ online trolls and bots to harass journalists was on the eve of the election the subject of a report issued by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) – and promoting the country as a source of rich energy reserves externally.
The voter turnout was 75.14%, according to the CEC. In a televised