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Azerbaijan

Monthly Event Reports

February 2024 | Presidential election less contested than usual
Election flag

Snap presidential elections returned the usual results of a landslide win for President Ilham Aliyev on 7 February. The campaign was marked by a lack of voter engagement, even by Azerbaijani standards, documented ballot stuffing and other election-day irregularities, and token opposition candidates that publicly encouraged voters to choose Aliyev. President Aliyev did not himself campaign or take part in televised debates, and real opposition parties boycotted as usual but, in a novel development, were either unwilling or unable to mobilize public rallies or shows of discontent, as had typically been the case in previous elections.

February 2024 | Aliyev re-elected in snap election
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President Ilham Aliyev was re-elected to a fifth term on 7 February in a snap election observers said was neither free nor fair. Initial figures from the Central Election Commission (MSK) indicated Aliyev won 92.4 per cent of the vote with 70.85 per cent turnout as of 17:00 local time. Aliyev won the previous election in 2018 on 84 per cent of the vote and 74 per cent turnout. Women’s participation rates were not yet available, but no woman has run for president since 2013 and no registered political party is headed by a woman. International observers, local media, and civil society noted widespread fraud. In line with previous elections, all genuine political opposition either boycotted the process or was prevented from participating, independent media was stifled, and sufficient violations were observed during both voting and vote-counting to render official statistics unreliable. In contrast to previous elections, this electoral cycle was marked by widespread public disengagement, and was the first to be held in the defunct Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh – although it is unclear who might have voted in this former Armenian region.

January 2024 | Azerbaijan delegation withdraws from PACE
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The Azerbaijani delegation withdrew from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 24 January, leaving the country a member of the international rights body but without representation in its assembly. The withdrawal was announced several hours before PACE held a vote expelling the delegation for Azerbaijan’s failure to meet its commitments to hold free and fair elections, respect human rights, and other democratic principles. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on 1 February the country would pull out of the Council and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) if its voting rights were not reinstated. With Azerbaijan’s justice system considered neither impartial nor independent of the executive, applications to the ECtHR are essentially the only recourse for justice or redress in the country. Azerbaijan would be the third country to withdraw CoE since its founding in 1949 (Greece’s withdrew in 1969 but returned in 1974, and Russia withdrew in March 2022).

December 2023 | Azerbaijan calls snap elections, cracks down on opposition
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On 7 December, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree to hold snap elections in February 2024, a year ahead of schedule. No reason was given for the early elections, and no Azerbaijani election during Aliyev’s twenty years in power has been free or fair. Prominent opposition politician Tofig Yaqublu was arrested on fraud charges shortly after the announcement and faces seven to twelve years of imprisonment, which supporters argue to be a tool to keep him imprisoned during the election campaign. The country’s main opposition parties announced plans to boycott the election, citing the lack of a fair and equal playing field.

Explore past monthly event reports

GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
10 145 210
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
Prime Minister Ali Asadov (since 2019)
Head of government party
New Azerbaijan Party
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
18.3%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2020
Head of state
President Ilham Aliyev
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
15/05/2018
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
69.11%
Population Tooltip
10 145 210
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
Prime Minister Ali Asadov (since 2019)
Head of government party
New Azerbaijan Party
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
18.3%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2020
Head of state
President Ilham Aliyev
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
15/05/2018
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
69.11%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
State Party
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
Signatory
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Signatory
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
No Action
in
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time

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