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Associated Press devotes article to Azerbaijanâ€™s presidential election

11 April 2018 16:50 (UTC +04:00)

The Associated Press has devoted an article to the presidential election that is underway in Azerbaijan.

The article published with photo session says that like his father before him, Ilham Aliyev has cast himself as a custodian of stability, an image that resonates with many in a nation where memories of the chaos and turmoil that accompanied the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union are still fresh.

The article notes that President Aliyev has allied the majority Shia Muslim nation of almost 10 million with the West, helping to protect its energy and security interests and to counterbalance Russia's influence in the strategic Caspian region.

“The presidential election that had been due in the fall was moved up to April. Officials said the move was made because the country would be busy with various high-profile events at the end of 2018. Ilham Aliyev has led the country since 2003, when he succeeded his father. Surveys put support for him at over 80 percent. Since President Aliyev won the last election in 2013, Azerbaijan's Constitution has been amended to extend the presidential term from five to seven years,” says the article.