Azerbaijan leader Ilkham Aliyev has claimed victory in presidential polls , thanks to the Azeri people for electing him to a third term . With about three - quarters of the votes counted Mr Aliyev has gained nearly 85 % , the national election commission. The president called the election a " victory of democracy " , but opposition groups alleged widespread fraud . Mr Aliyev inherited the presidency from his father in 2003 . It has stifled disagree and scrapped term limits . So confident was the victory on Wednesday , he did not run a campaign .
"Azerbaijan will successfully continue to develop as a democracy", Mr. Aliyev said in a pre-recorded television address . "The fact that this election was free and transparent is another serious step towards democracy . "
Human rights groups say in the run-up to the elections the government launched an unprecedented campaign on his critics .But political opposition in the country of nine million have also faded by prosperity , with wealth in oil more than tripled GDP .
With 75 % of the votes counted , the proportion for the main opposition candidate Jamil Hasanli , stood at only 5.2 % , the election commission said .
Mr. Hasanli , a 61 - year-old history teacher , representing a coalition of parties . He told reporters earlier in the day that his campaign had witnessed " cases of ballot stuffing in a number of polling stations " . "Unfortunately , many government officials are involved in forgery , becoming accomplices of serious crime , '' he was quoted as saying. Opposition activists distributing pictures and videos appear to show individuals cast multiple votes - although this could not be verified . Competitors include other five MPs and two opposition figure low - profile . Critics say those in collusion with the government and only in the race to weaken the opposition vote . Cancel mr Aliyev , who enjoys tremendous power after inheriting the presidency from his father in 2003 , two presidential limit - a season in a controversial referendum in 2009 . International monitors said the pre-election atmosphere is characterized by a combination of apathy and fear . Human Rights Watch report said recently that the government during the past year has intensified its crackdown on civil society and passed a number of laws to curtail any form of dissent, including a $ 10,000 ( £ 6,000 ) fine for organizing or attending a rally unsanctioned .
One group rights that the number of political prisoners has doubled before the figures elections.Opposition were starved of publicity on national television channels.However , many Azerbaijanis support the president , often citing the rise in standards living . One voter , Iskander Kerimov , " I voted for the president , because he is the person who secured stability in the republic during the last 10 years of his rule , and we saw clear results of their activity . " I think it will work hard in the future as well for the good of the country, for the stability , peace and prosperity . " In the decade since Mr Aliyev succeeded his father , Azerbaijan has been through economic prosperity . However , disagreement has grown over what critics describe as the country's endemic corruption and the great divide between rich and poor.
The president has courted Western states attracted by its strategic location and status as a producer and transporter of oil and gas. Azerbaijan an important supplier of oil and natural gas for European markets . International oil companies BP , ExxonMobil and other Western companies have invested billions of dollars to take advantage of the wealth of oil in Azerbaijan . An oil pipeline backed by the U.S. and the European Union to pump Azerbaijani crude oil through Georgia to Turkey - bypassing Russia - goes into effect in 2005 .
Although during Aliev's presidency the economic and cultural relationships between Azerbayjan and Turkey have increased, there still are some major political issues.
The pipeline is seen as an important part of the Western goal of reducing energy dependence of Europe on Russian resources .
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