Country: | Azerbaijan |
Type: | presidential |
Previous Election: | 1993 Azerbaijani presidential election |
Previous Year: | 1993 |
Next Election: | 2003 Azerbaijani presidential election |
Next Year: | 2003 |
Election Date: | 11 October 1998 |
Image1: | Heydar Aliyev 1997 (cropped).jpg |
Nominee1: | Heydar Aliyev |
Party1: | New Azerbaijan Party |
Popular Vote1: | 2,556,059 |
Percentage1: | 77.61% |
Nominee2: | Etibar Mammadov |
Party2: | Azerbaijan National Independence Party |
Popular Vote2: | 389,662 |
Percentage2: | 11.83% |
President | |
Before Election: | Heydar Aliyev |
Before Party: | New Azerbaijan Party |
After Election: | Heydar Aliyev |
After Party: | New Azerbaijan Party |
Presidential elections were held in Azerbaijan on 11 October 1998.[1] The result was a victory for Heydar Aliyev of the New Azerbaijan Party, who received 78% of the vote. Voter turnout was reported to be 79%.[2]
The election occurred under the context in which Heydar Aliyev had cemented "complete political control" of Azerbaijan, as his party controlled the legislature and the state dominated the media.[3] The main opposition parties in Azerbaijan boycotted the election with the exception of Etibar Mammadov. Election monitors noted that there was a ballot stuffing and allegations of fabricated vote counts. After the election, Mammadov appealed the election to Azerbaijan's Supreme Court, which rejected his appeal.
An independent assessment of the vote put the outcome at 50-60% for Aliyev and 25% for Mammadov.