Azerbaijan Election Poll: Aliyev Wins with Over 90% of Votes

The exit poll for the presidential election in Azerbaijan, held on Wednesday, February 7, indicates a decisive victory for Ilham Aliyev, the current president of the country, which was anticipated. According to a Reuters report based on a poll conducted by the consulting group 'Oracle' involving 63,000 people, Mr. Aliyev is likely to win with 93.9% of the votes. He succeeded his father, Heydar Aliyev, as president of Azerbaijan in 2003. Human rights groups claim that the elections held by Baku are neither free nor fair. Azerbaijani officials assert that the presidential election, conducted after a recent crackdown on media, is fair and transparent, and that Ilham Aliyev's popularity has increased following his victory in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijani military forces defeated the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in a 24-hour conflict that began on September 24. Additionally, see: Associated Press report on Israeli military aid to Azerbaijan. In the recent Nagorno-Karabakh war, about 100,000 Armenians were forced to leave their homes. In this context, Baku has denied allegations of 'ethnic cleansing' in the region. The elections in Azerbaijan were held under circumstances where the two main opposition parties in the country boycotted them. Baku, a close ally of Turkey that has also maintained relations with Russia, attributes Western criticism of Azerbaijan to opposition to the predominantly Muslim population of the country. The ongoing media crackdown in Azerbaijan continues; 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.