Aliyev Wins Azerbaijan Presidential Election Again with 92% of Votes

The head of the Election Commission of Azerbaijan announced on Thursday, February 8, that Ilham Aliyev has won the presidential election in the country again with over 90% of the votes. According to Reuters, Mazahir Panahov stated that with more than 93% of the votes counted, Aliyev has secured 92.5% of the votes. Officials said that the voter turnout in the election held on Wednesday was about 76%. A lawmaker loyal to Aliyev, who also ran for election, received just over 2% of the votes. The results of a poll published on Wednesday, February 8, indicated a decisive victory for Ilham Aliyev. He succeeded his father, Heydar Aliyev, as President of Azerbaijan in 2003. Human rights groups say that the elections held by Baku are neither free nor fair. Azerbaijani officials claim that the presidential election, which took place after a recent crackdown on media, was fair and transparent, and that Ilham Aliyev's popularity has increased following his victory in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijani forces defeated the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in a 24-hour conflict that began on September 24. In the recent Nagorno-Karabakh war, about 100,000 Armenians were forced to leave their homes. In this context, Baku has denied accusations of 'ethnic cleansing' in the region. Baku, a close ally of Turkey that has also maintained relations with Russia, attributes Western criticism of Azerbaijan to opposition against the predominantly Muslim population of the country. The crackdown on media continues in Azerbaijan; another journalist has been arrested. The Armenian envoy to the European Union has called for 'decisive action' from the West against Azerbaijan. Armenia has urged the United Nations to prevent 'ethnic cleansing' of Armenians by Azerbaijan. France has warned Azerbaijan about threats to Armenia's territorial integrity.