- The political group affiliated with the nation's president announced the triumphant candidate in the Azerbaijan elections.
During the initial parliamentary voting in the dictator-led nation of Azerbaijan, located in the South Caucasus, it was no surprise that President Ilham Aliyev's party, New Azerbaijan, snagged the majority of seats. As per local news outlets, the party obtained 68 out of the total 125 parliamentary seats. The polling participation, as per the election commission's figures, was 37.24%. This oil-rich and gas-rich nation, situated on the Caspian Sea, often undergoes scrutiny internationally due to its track record of human rights violations and stifling dissent, and acts as a major energy provider to the European Union.
The voting, initially planned for November, was shifted forthwith due to the pending UN climate summit in Azerbaijan, anticipated to draw around 80,000 representatives globally. The voting process proceeded uninterrupted, as per official statements.
The predicted result was clear, given the scarcity of opposition candidates participating. Previous elections within this ten-million-strong nation have been consistently criticized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with the polls deemed neither transparent nor honest.
Aliyev, who has governed the nation with an iron grip since he assumed power from his father in 2003, demonstrated dominance in the February re-election. Aliyev's popularity surged post-Azerbaijan's successful recovery of the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2020, resulting in the displacement of over 100,000 Armenians towards neighboring Armenia.
The elected representatives from New Azerbaijan party will convene in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, to commence their legislative duties. Despite international scrutiny and criticism, Azerbaijan, including Baku, continues to serve as a significant energy provider to the European Union.
