Azerbaijani presidential election

The Azerbaijani presidential election of 2024 took place on February 7, aiming to elect the president for a seven-year term. The incumbent president, Ilham Aliyev, in power since 2003, was widely re-elected in the first round with over 92% of the votes. Despite democratic appearances, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe refused to ratify the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation due to serious concerns regarding democracy, separation of powers, and human rights. A resolution was adopted, highlighting deficiencies in Azerbaijan's ability to conduct free and fair elections.

Furthermore, the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) issued a report criticizing the electoral process. Although the proceedings at polling stations were generally orderly, IEOM (International Election Observation Mission) observers expressed serious concerns. They noted issues in 7.7% of the 1,226 observed polling stations, raising questions about the conduct of the vote. The secrecy of the vote was compromised in 25% of observations, with voters either not marking their ballot in secret or not folding it to preserve confidentiality, affecting the integrity of the process.