A nation must think before it acts.
Osservatorio Balconi e Caucaso
Standing outside a crowd gathered in front of the Haydar Aliyev Culture Center, dressed in casual clothes rather than in his usual suit and tie, President Ilham Aliyev held his fist high as he delivered yet another victory speech. “I have always felt the support of the Azerbaijani nation”, said the President. “I have always relied on this support […] The Azerbaijani nation made its choice in this election. The people once again voted for our policy, stability, development and progress”.
Having secured an 86% majority of the vote, there is nothing that stands between President Ilham Aliyev and his next presidential term, which based on the changes made to the state constitution in 2016 through a country wide referendum, extended his leadership from five to seven years.