Azerbaijan strongman Ilham Aliyev secured a fourth consecutive term with 86 percent of the vote in a snap election boycotted by the main opposition parties, final results showed Thursday, AFP reported.
Aliyev, who has been in power for 15 years, addressed the nation on Wednesday evening, thanking Azerbaijanis for “support and trust”.
The Central Election Commission put the turnout at 74.5 percent.
The main opposition parties boycotted the vote, calling the elections a sham and accusing the authorities of electoral fraud.
They also condemned Aliyev’s surprise – and unexplained – decision to hold the election six months ahead of schedule, saying it was aimed at shortening the campaign period and hampering efforts to stop vote-rigging.
