Elections in Azerbaijan

After its independence from the Soviet Union, elections in Azerbaijan have frequently been affected by electoral fraud and other unfair election practices, such as holding opposition politicians as political prisoners. Since 1993, Heydar Aliyev and his son Ilham Aliyev have been continuously in power.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

Political scientists characterize Azerbaijan as an electoral authoritarian regime.^[8] The ruling New Azerbaijan Party, headed by Ilham Aliyev, controls all the electoral commissions in Azerbaijan.^[9]

The President of Azerbaijan is elected for a seven-year term by the people; before a constitutional referendum changed this in 2009, the position was limited to two terms. The National Assembly (Milli Məclis) has 125 members. Before 2005, 100 members were elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies and 25 members were elected by proportional representation. Since 2005 all 125 members have been elected in single-seat constituencies. Azerbaijan is a one-party dominant state. The most recent parliamentary elections were held on Sunday, 1 September 2024. The most recent presidential election was held on Wednesday, 7 February 2024.