1998 Azerbaijani presidential election explained

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.

Notes and References

  1. [Dieter Nohlen]
  2. Nohlen et al., p364
  3. Book: Altstadt, Audrey L. . Frustrated Democracy in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan . 2017 . Columbia University Press . 978-0-231-70456-4 . 71-73 . 10.7312/alts70456.