Azerbaijan held early presidential elections on Wednesday, and our editor-in-chief was able to be present in person as part of an international team of journalists.
Why were early presidential elections held?
Let’s jump back in time. The conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh has been going on for decades, and although there were years when the conflict was completely quiet, in 2020, the Azerbaijani leadership decided to put an end to the conflict and went on the offensive. For decades, the energy-rich country has been preparing its military to storm the Armenian-ruled territory, internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, if necessary. Needless to say, there was no chance of resistance, and Azerbaijan retook the region very quickly and decisively. The breakaway republic and its institutions will “cease to exist” as of 1 January 2024, the breakaway leader of the region said.
The people of Azerbaijan have been hoping to regain long-lost territories for decades, as when the separatists took control of the region, more than a million people fled the region, with many deaths. What is happening now is a great satisfaction for Azerbaijan and, of course, Ilham Aliyev, the current President, who planned and carried out the reconquest, is seen as a national hero. If we want to take a Hungarian example, there is the Trianon peace dictate, two decades after which the Hungarian army of the time took back part of the territories that had been seized. The nation rejoiced as one, as Azerbaijan is doing now.
It was certainly this heightened mood that the Baku leadership used to win the president, who has been in office since 2003, another 7-year mandate. Back in December, it was announced that early elections would be held in February, as a new era in Azerbaijan’s life begins with the merger of the recaptured territories.
Presidential elections in Azerbaijan – 7 February 2024
A member of our editorial staff was invited to the early presidential election, so we were able to witness the historic election in person. This election was special not because of the candidates, as the popularity of the current president was clear, but as we wrote, the focus was on national unification. The leadership in Baku went all out to ensure that the election was transparent and internationally accepted. 90,000 domestic observers and 600 foreign observers were on the ground to follow the events in person. However, they went even further by installing webcams in every polling station so that they could view the clean conduct of the elections from anywhere in the world.
Press from more than 100 countries were registered to ensure that information was properly disseminated. We were also able to visit several polling stations in and around Baku. There were queues of people waiting to cast their votes, but in general, there was a great interest in the elections. It was also a holiday in the life of Azerbaijan, and this Wednesday was declared a public holiday to allow as many people as possible to go out and vote. In Budapest, Azerbaijani citizens were also expected at the embassy to vote.
The official results, which take all votes into account, are still to be announced, with 40 countries still casting their votes for the next president, but exit poll results made Aliyev’s stunning lead clear in the hours after the polls closed. Three exit polls were unanimously over 92% in favour of the incumbent president, a staggering margin of victory, but not a surprise given the popularity of the president, who has played a lion’s share in the recovery of Azeri territory.
After the exit poll results were announced, many people took to the streets to celebrate the re-election of the incumbent president. A number of posts on social media were shared with photos and videos of residents in the Nagorno-Karabakh region celebrating the historic election with fireworks and street festivals.
The official results are due to be announced by 17 February, after which the old-new president will be sworn in. One thing is for sure, now that the conflict is over, a new chapter in Azerbaijan’s life is about to begin, as the country can now move full steam ahead with the development of the reclaimed territories and the repopulation of the completely depopulated settlements of the war-torn region.
Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian population
Dr Farid Shafiyev, President of the Baku-based Center for Analysis of International Relations, told us that the withdrawal of the Armenian population from the occupied territory was a PR ploy by Yerevan. There was no single Azeri action that forced anyone to leave their homes immediately. The Armenian leadership deliberately frightened the population with untrue news. Shafiyev also pointed out that many people are trying to bring religion into the conflict, but this is not the case, as Christians, Muslims and Jews live peacefully side by side in Azerbaijan. He pointed out that in Baku, next to their headquarters, there is a fully renovated church where Christians such as Armenians living in the capital can practice their faith, and in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Azerbaijani authorities are taking care of existing Christian buildings and heritage. On the issue of return, he said:
“Former residents can return to the recaptured areas, as the properties are protected and the population has not been deprived of their property rights. If they take Azerbaijani citizenship, they can return.”
Relations between Hungary and Azerbaijan
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has a very good relationship with President Aliyev, and was among the first people to congratulate him. Orbán confirmed during their telephone conversation that Budapest continues to regard Baku as an important partner in the political, economic, educational and cultural fields.
Read also:
Exit poll: Aliyev won the Azeri presidential election by a landslide, Orban has already congratulated him, details HERE.
Hungarian company started to rebuild village retaken by Azerbaijani forces from Armenia, details HERE.
