Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has announced early parliamentary elections for September 1st in a recent order, a decision widely anticipated but not expected to significantly change the composition of the parliament, as reported by Reuters.
Aliyev, in power since 2003 and re-elected in a swift February presidential election, aims to solidify his majority in the oil-rich nation, where his New Azerbaijan Party currently holds 69 out of 125 seats in the outgoing parliament.
While opposition lawmakers within parliament support Aliyev, critics outside claim persecution, citing arrests of independent journalists and political activists preceding this year’s election, which Aliyev won with 92% of the vote.
Authorities have defended these arrests, denying political motives and alleging charges related to offenses like smuggling.
Azerbaijan has also asserted leadership over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region previously under separatist control, which Aliyev praised following a successful September offensive resulting in the exodus of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Baku is now engaged in reconstruction efforts to resettle Azerbaijanis in the area.
As a significant player in global energy markets, Azerbaijan hosts Western firms like BP and is a participant in the “OPEC+” agreement, which regulates oil production among OPEC members and other major exporters such as Russia to stabilize global prices.
