No. 55: Presidential Elections in Azerbaijan

Author(s): Rashad Shirinov, Shahin Abbasov, Farid Guliyev, Andreas Heinrich (special editor)
Editor(s): Denis Dafflon, Lili Di Puppo, Iris Kempe, Natia Mestvirishvili, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines
Series: Caucasus Analytical Digest (CAD)
Issue: 55
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publication Year: 2013

This issue examines the presidential elections of October 2013 in Azerbaijan. The first two articles provide an overview of the election strategies of both the ruling party and the opposition. Rashad Shirinov writes about the 'stealth strategy' of the ruling party in which the incumbent, President Ilham Aliyev, did not campaign at all and the state-controlled media did not mention the opposition, leaving the public rather uninformed about the upcoming elections. Shahin Abbasov deals with the opposition, which for the first time managed to unite and participate in the elections with a broad coalition and a single candidate. Finally, Farid Guliyev analyses the meaning of these elections for different actor groups in Azerbaijan, concluding that, even though the outcome was predictable, the elections nevertheless fulfilled important functions for President Aliyev, the ruling party, and the opposition.

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