Poll observers say Azerbaijan presidential vote marred by irregularities

Ilham Aliyev wins expected landslide victory, but OSCE monitors say vote was ‘restrictive’ and ‘not competitive’.

Election observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have raised “serious questions” about the validity of Azerbaijan’s presidential election, which saw incumbent Ilham Aliyev secure a fifth term with more than 90 percent of the vote.

The election was “not competitive” and “was held in a restrictive environment”, OSCE monitors told a news conference in the capital, Baku, on Thursday, a day after the poll. They said that “recent arrests of critical journalists have hindered the media from operating freely”.

There was no immediate comment from the government.

With more than 93 percent of the ballots counted, Aliyev secured more than 92 percent of votes, the head of the Central Election Commission, Mazahir Panahov, said on Thursday.

“While six other candidates participated in the campaign, none of them convincingly challenged the incumbent president’s policies in their campaigns, leaving voters without any genuine alternative,” the monitors said.

The OSCE noted “issues of secrecy of the vote, a lack of safeguards against multiple voting, indications of ballot stuffing”, raising “serious questions about whether ballots were counted and reported honestly”.

“While preparations for the election were efficient and professional, it lacked genuine pluralism and critical voices were continuously stifled,” the observers said.

Aliyev’s time in power has been marked by the introduction of increasingly strict laws that curb political debate, as well as the arrests of opposition figures and independent journalists.

He will be in the limelight in November when Azerbaijan, a country reliant