Ilham Aliyev

The official results of the 15 October 2003 elections gave victory to Ilham Aliyev, who earned 76.84% of the votes.[17] The election was defined by election fraud.[18][19][20][8] Human Rights Watch and the Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe documented arrests of opposition candidates, police violence against journalists and participants in election rallies, and "widespread fraud and abuse" in the conduct of the election itself.[19][20]

Ilham Aliyev was re-elected in 2008 with 87% of the polls. A total of seven candidates filed to run in the election who had to collect 40,000 voter signatures.[21] According to the report of the Election Observation Delegation from the European Parliament the elections took place with no reported unrest and few minor electoral violations. The report also highlights numerous reforms to the Electoral Code in accordance with OSCE and Council of Europe requirements and standards, which include inking of voters, more transparency of voter lists, and the prohibition of government interference in the election process.[22]

During the 2008 presidential elections, PACE observers included a large group of frankly pro-Azerbaijani MPs. The variant of the statement on elections, prepared by the head of the group of observers Andreas Herkel, containing critical remarks, faced the rejection of the pro-Azerbaijani group consisting of Michael Hancock, Eduard Lintner and Paul Ville. Herkel was forced to declare his resignation if criticism did not go into the statement. During the referendum, which lifted the limits on the number of presidential terms for Ilham Aliyev, four PACE deputies – Eduard Litner, Paul Ville, Khaki Keskin and Pedro Agramunt evaluated the referendum as the progress of democracy.[23] In a constitutional referendum in 2009, term limits for the presidency were abolished. The opposition claimed this to be a violation of the Azerbaijani constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.[24] European Commission said the step "signalled a serious setback".[25]

In the 2013 presidential elections held on 9 October, Aliyev claimed victory with 85 percent of the vote, securing a third five-year term.[26] The election results were accidentally released before the polls opened.[27]

Election observation delegations from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament claimed to have observed a free, fair and transparent electoral process with no evidence of voter intimidation.[28] A day before voting began, however, the Central Election Commission released a new smartphone application intended to allow citizens to watch the ballot counting in real time, and instead the app accidentally showed the results of the election before the election had taken place.[29] The Central Election Commission tried to justify the incident by saying that the initially displayed results were those of the 2008 election, even though the candidates listed, including Jamil Hasanli in second place, were from the 2013 ballot.[30] Aliyev's main rivals in the election were Jamil Hasanli and Igbal Agazade.

In 2013, Amnesty International called on western leaders to speak up against the arrest of Anar Mammadli, prominent human rights activist and head of the independent Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre, who was falsely charged with tax evasion and illegal business activity, after his organisation had reported widespread violations during the election.[31]

Observers from the OSCE / ODIHR spoke of restrictions on freedom of speech during elections.[32][33] The US State Department described the elections as not meeting international standards, and expressing solidarity with the ODIHR's assessment.[34]

There was a controversy over election observers who had allegedly been paid by the Azerbaijani regime through the Azerbaijani laundromat scandal. A German former lawmaker Eduard Lintner led a mission that claimed that the elections were up to "German standards"; however, Lintner's group had been paid 819,500 euros through the laundromat moneylaundering scheme.[35][36] According to the OCCRP, there is "ample evidence of its connection to the family of President Aliyev."[35]

Aliyev celebrates victory in 2018 elections.

Ilham Aliyev got 86.02% of votes in the 2018 presidential election.[37] Major opposition parties did not participate in the election,[38] and evidence indicates that the election was fraudulent.[39][40]

Ilham Aliyev met with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, 26 October 2019

Azerbaijani foreign relations under Aliyev included strengthened cooperation with the European Union (EU), strong economic ties with Russia, cooperation with NATO via the NATO–Azerbaijan Individual Partnership Action Plan, and close relations with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).[41] using Azerbaijan's oil wealth, the Azerbaijani regime engages in extensive lobbying efforts, using complex money-laundering and bribery schemes discovered during the Azerbaijani laundromat scandal, such as Caviar diplomacy, to pay off prominent European politicians to deflect and whitewash criticism of Aliyev and promote a positive image of his regime and gain support for Azerbaijani projects.[42][43]

Before the start of a trilateral meeting. Left to right: Hassan Rouhani, Ilham Aliyev, and Vladimir Putin.

During Aliyev's presidency, in 2019, Azerbaijan was elected chair of the Turkic Council,[44] as well as Non-Aligned Movement for a three-year mandate.[45]

Ilham Aliyev attended and addressed the general debates of the 59th, 65th and 72 sessions (2004, 2010, 2017) of the UN General Assembly.[46][47][48]

Ilham Aliyev and President of the European Council Charles Michel in Brussels, Belgium (April 2022)

Ilham Aliyev expanded cooperation with the European Union (EU) during his presidency, using caviar diplomacy as a controversial technique of persuading European officials to support Azerbaijani projects.[49] in 2004, Azerbaijan became part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) of the EU.[50] In 2006, Aliyev and Matti Vanhanen, president of the European Council, and José Manuel Barroso, president of the commission, signed the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership.[51]

In 2009, Azerbaijan was included in the Eastern Partnership Policy.[52] In 2011, Aliyev and José Manuel Barroso concluded the Joint Declaration on the Southern Gas Corridor.[53]

On 6 February 2017, Aliyev visited Brussels, the capital of the EU, where he paid visits to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, with the President of the European Council, Commission President, and the Commissioner for Energy Union.[54] which resulted in signing the "Partnership Priorities" between EU and Azerbaijan on 11 July 2018.[55]

Aliyev with French President Emmanuel Macron

During 12–15 March 2017, Aliyev made an official visit to France[56] and met with executive officials of international companies SUEZ, DCNS, CIFAL, Space Systems in the Airbus Defence and Space Division.[57][58][59] during a meeting with French entrepreneurs, he stated that the activities of some companies in the Republic of Artsakh is "unacceptable and violates international and national laws".[60] Following his visit, Aliyev met with the French President in the Elysee Palace.[61] French President Francois Hollande made a press statement in which he stated that "the status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not the right option and he hopes that there can be a resumption of negotiations."[62] During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, in which France supported Azerbaijan's adversary Armenia, Aliyev demanded that French president Emmanuel Macron apologize for accusing Azerbaijan of using Syrian mercenaries.[63]

Aliyev with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, 23 January 2012

On 6 February 2004, Aliyev and Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, signed the Moscow Declaration, which stated principles of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.[64] On 16 February 2005 Aliyev participated in the ceremony of opening the Year of Azerbaijan in Russia.[65] On 29 June 2006, Ilham Aliyev and Dmitry Medvedev, former President of the Russian Federation, concluded a joint statement on the Caspian Sea.[66] In 2018, Aliyev and Putin signed Joint Statement on Priority Areas of Economic Cooperation between the two countries.[67][68] Aliyev met with Russian and Iranian leaders in Baku in 2016 to discuss terrorism, transnational organized crime, arms smuggling and drug trafficking in the region.[69] the trilateral summit signed a declaration to develop the International North–South Transport Corridor, which would run from India to Saint Petersburg, providing better alternatives to existing sea routes.[70]

Aliyev with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012

Aliyev has met with multiple U.S. Presidents during his tenure: George W. Bush,[71][72] Barack Obama,[73] and Donald Trump.[74]

Aliyev with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. NATO member Turkey is a longtime ally of Azerbaijan.

Ilham Aliyev and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the joint press conference in November 2017

During Aliyev's presidency, Azerbaijan joined the Individual Partnership Action Plan. Azerbaijan has completed NATO-Azerbaijan Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) documents for three periods.[75] Ilham Aliyev introduced Azerbaijan's first IPAP to NATO in Brussels on 19 May 2014.[76]

Aliyev has attended several NATO summits and other meetings.[77][78][79][80][81][82] Azerbaijan contributed to the NATO-led "Resolute Support" mission in Afghanistan.[83][84]

On 10 January 2017 Ilham Aliyev announced 2017 as the year of Islamic Solidarity and allocated funds to organize the related events.[85][86] In 2014 and 2015, Aliyev allocated funds from Presidential Reserve Fund multiple time towards efforts to promote "interreligious dialogue and tolerance" and to restore monuments in Azerbaijan.[87][88]

Corruption is rampant in Azerbaijan.[89][90][91][92][93] According to Transparency International, Azerbaijan scores just 30 on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, indicating a serious problem with corruption. On 8 August 2017, Transparency Azerbaijan announced that it had scaled back its operations in the capital city of Baku, because the government would not approve an extension of the funding as it comes from outside the country. According to Transparency International "The blanket ban on foreign grants has brought the country's civil society to a halt and has dealt a devastating blow to civic initiatives across the board".[93]

Discrimination against LGBT people is severe in Azerbaijan.[94] In 2020, ILGA-Europe again declared Azerbaijan the worst country in all of Europe for LGBT rights, with the country receiving a final score of just 2%.[95][96] Human rights activists have criticized Aliyev's record on LGBT rights.[94]

Aliyev awards winners of the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Azerbaijan's oil wealth has made it possible for the country to host lavish international events.[97]

Aliyev is the president of the National Olympic Committee since 1997.[98] During his presidency, Azerbaijan hosted some international sports events such as the 2015 European Games,[99] 4th Islamic Solidarity Games[100] and 42nd Chess Olympiad[101] and the 2016 European Grand Prix.[102] Aliyev attended various opening and award ceremonies where he awarded the winning prizes.[103][104][105]

Aliyev with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in Davos, Switzerland. Economic cooperation between Israel and Azerbaijan has been growing significantly.

Upon becoming president in 2003, Aliyev was positioned to enjoy a booming economy fueled by the oil and gas sector; Azerbaijan had the world's fastest rate of economic growth in the three-year period from 2005–2007.[106] Azerbaijan's oil riches strengthened the stability of Aliyev's regime and enriched ruling elites in Azerbaijan.[107][108][109][110] However, periods of low oil prices, as well as inflation, weakened the Azerbaijani economy[106][111] and slowed economic growth.[112] Aliyev continued the neopatrimonial system inherited from his father.[106] Azerbaijan's oligarchic system inhibited smaller businesses and blocked foreign investment outside the fossil fuels sector.[106] Persistent pledges by Aliyev and Azerbaijani elites to prioritize economic diversification yielded few major results,[106] as the country remained largely depended on oil and gas.[111] The International Monetary Fund has urged Azerbaijan to diverse its economy.[112] Efforts to economically liberalize were inhibited by the authorities' fear of political liberalization.[106] Currency devaluation has been another economic challenge under Aliyev's tenure.[106][111] In a rare public criticism of other government officials, Aliyev criticized his Economy Minister Shakhin Mustafayev and other Cabinet members for frequently shifting economic forecasts, and for seeking to block economic reforms by blackmailing and denigrating other officials.[113]

The Aliyev family have enriched themselves through their ties to state-run businesses. They own significant parts of at several major Azerbaijani banks, construction firms and telecommunications firms, well as partially own the country's oil and gas industries. Much of the wealth is hidden in offshore companies.[114] The 2021 Pandora Papers leaks showed that the Aliyev family built vast offshore network to hide their money. The family and their close associates have secretly been involved in property deals in the UK worth more than £400m.[115][116][117]

Aliyev family in 2018

Andrew Higgins, writing in The Washington Post, stated in 2010 that Azerbaijanis with the same names as Ilham Aliyev's three children owned real estate in Dubai worth about $75 million. Higgins stated that some members of the family are indeed wealthy, such as the president's older daughter, Leyla, married to Emin Agalarov, a Russian billionaire, and relatives of the first lady who have businesses in Azerbaijan.[118]

In 2012, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project called Ilham Aliyev the person of the year in organized crime and corruption.[1] Also in 2012, CNBC filmed the film Filthy Rich about corruption which also mentioned the Aliyev family.

According to a 2013 investigation the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Aliyev family owned at least four offshore companies directly connected with Hassan Gozal.[119] ICIJ stated that family members never declared the Aliyevs' offshore companies, that Ilham and Mehriban Aliyevs had no legal right to open offshore companies, and that when these companies were opened, measures were taken to conceal the real owners. When registering the companies, Aliyev's daughters indicated property worth about $6 million.[120][121] Investigation of Swedish television showed that offshore companies controlled by Aliyevs received from TeliaSonera the Swedish telecommunications company, a factual bribe in the form of shares of Azercell cellular operator in the amount of 600-700 million dollars (due to the estimate of 2005), which was purchased for only 6.5 million dollars.[122][123][124] In a resolution on 10 September 2015, the European Parliament called on the EU authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of allegations of corruption against Ilham Aliyev and his family members.[125]

Journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who worked for the United States government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, carried out journalistic investigations, and claimed that Aliyev's family controlled some companies such as "Azerfon", "Azenco", and assets worth $3 billion in the largest Azerbaijani banks.[126][127]

Ismayilova was later detained in December 2014 and sentenced in September 2015 to seven-and-a-half years in prison on trumped-up charges. She was conditionally released in May 2016, in 2020 she was still subject to a travel ban and had been unable to leave the country despite numerous applications to do so. Lawyers will be seeking permission for Ismayilova to travel to the UK to give evidence in the trial of Paul Radu, a Romanian journalist who is co-founder and executive director of investigative reporting group OCCRP (the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project). Radu is being sued for defamation in London by Azerbaijani MP, Javanshir Feyziyev, over two articles in OCCRP's award-winning Azerbaijan Laundromat series about money-laundering out of Azerbaijan. Ismayilova, OCCRP's lead reporter in Azerbaijan, is a key witness in the case.[128]

Aliyev was also included on a list of figures (others being the Minister of Emergency Situations Kamaladdin Heydarov, head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva) accused of accepting bribes of 1,000,000$ USD from MP candidates to guarantee their "election win" and inclusion to the parliament. This high-level corruption scandal is widely called the Gulargate.[129]

Azerbaijan's oil wealth has made it possible for the regime to engage in extensive lobbying efforts. In 2017, the Aliyev family was implicated in the Azerbaijani laundromat scandal, which was a complex money-laundering scheme to pay off prominent European politicians to deflect criticism of Aliyev and promote a positive image of his regime.[42][43]

Aliyev rules an authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan,[130] as elections are not free and fair, power is concentrated in the hands of Aliyev and his extended family, corruption is rampant, and human rights violations are severe (which included torture,[131][132] arbitrary arrests, as well as harassment of journalists and non-governmental organizations).[133][134][135][92][136][137][138][97] Many observers see Aliyev as a dictator.[139][140][141][142][143][144]

Human rights violations in Azerbaijan during Aliyev's presidency include torture,[132] arbitrary arrests and harassment of journalists and non-governmental organizations.[138]

In a speech delivered on 15 July 2020, during the 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes, President Aliyev targeted the largest opposition party, the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan. He declared that "we need to finish with the 'fifth column" and the Popular Front "worse than the Armenians". According to Azerbaijani sources as many as 120 people are currently held in jail, including some deputy leaders of the party as well as journalists. On July 20 the U.S. State Department urged Azerbaijan to avoid using the pandemic to silence "civil society advocacy, opposition voices, or public discussion".[145] These actions are widely seen as an attempt "to eliminate pro-democracy advocates and political rivals once and for all". According to RFE/RL, "Aliyev's authoritarian rule has shut down independent media outlets and suppressed opposition parties while holding elections deemed neither free nor fair by international monitoring groups".[146]

In 2012, Aliyev convinced the government of Hungary to transfer convicted murderer Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan to complete the rest of his prison term. While attending a NATO-sponsored English-language course in Hungary, Safarov had murdered an Armenian lieutenant who was also taking the course, Gurgen Margaryan, while Margaryan was asleep. Safarov admitted that he committed the crime and surrendered himself to the police. Safarov has justified the act based over the Naghorno Karabakh conflict between the two countries from 1988 to 1994.[147][148] Safarov had been tried and sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary. However, after being extradited to Azerbaijan, Safarov received a hero's welcome, promoted to the rank of major, and given an apartment and over eight years of back pay, covering the time he had spent in jail.[149][150]

Aliyev during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan on 4 October 2020

While in office, Aliyev has made numerous statements that are anti-Armenian, [151] and claiming historically Armenian territory for Azerbaijan.

Shortly after thousands of Azerbaijani people gathered to commemorate the Khojaly massacre, in which 613 ethnic Azerbaijanis had been killed by the Armenian irregular forces and the 366th CIS regiment of the Soviet Union 20 years earlier, Aliyev posted on his official website: "Our main enemies are Armenians of the world and the hypocritical and corrupt politicians that they control".[152][153] During his speech, Ilham Aliyev noted: "I once said that the Armenian people should not be afraid of us, they should be afraid of their own leadership".[154]

In 2008, Aliyev declared that "Nagorno Karabakh will not be independent; the position is backed by international mediators as well; Armenia has to accept the reality", and also stated that "in 1918, Yerevan was granted to the Armenians. It was a great mistake. The khanate of Iravan was the Azerbaijani territory, the Armenians were guests there."[155] President Ilham Aliyev stated, "the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries – our territorial integrity is recognized by the United Nation and has been left out of due attention of the international community. All these facts are the ever seen injustice."[156] "No project can be carried out in the Armenian occupied Azerbaijani territories without the consent and participation of Azerbaijan".[157]

Aliyev said that "Armenians living in Karabakh must either accept Azerbaijani citizenship or look for another place to live"[158][159][160] adding that "I am sure that the majority of the Armenian population living in Karabakh today is ready to accept Azerbaijani citizenship. It's just that these leeches, these wild animals, the separatists [referring to the de facto Republic of Artsakh representatives] don't allow it."[161][162] Aliyev's irredentist statements have drawn criticism from EU officials and human rights organizations specializing in genocide studies.[163][164][165][166][167][168][169][170][171]

During a speech on 10 November 2020, Aliyev directly referred to Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan by mockingly saying Nə oldu Paşinyan? ("What happened Pashinyan?"), which became an Internet meme in Azerbaijan and Turkey.[172][173]

In 2023, experts in genocide prevention stated that Azerbaijan's blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and sabotage of public infrastructure constitutes genocide according to the Genocide Convention: "Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction" and that there are various indicators that Azerbaijan possesses genocidal intent: President Aliyev's public statements, his regime's openly Armenophobic practices and noncompliance with the International Court of Justice orders to end the blockade.[174][175][176]

Aliyev has repeatedly made substantial territorial claims over Armenia proper.[177] In 2012 he stated that "Armenia as a country is of no value. It is actually a colony, an outpost run from abroad, a territory artificially created on ancient Azerbaijani lands."[177] In 2013 he defined much of Armenia as "historical lands" of the Azerbaijanis, promising them that they will live there "in the future", including in "Irevan and Zangezur regions", to which he sometimes adds "Geicha", Meghri, and Goris.[177] The first three of these are irredentist terms by which he means the Armenian capital Yerevan, the southern Syunik Province, and Lake Sevan in Gegharkunik Province, all of them in Armenia, while the latter two are towns in Syunik Province. In 2018, when he became the New Azerbaijan Party's presidential candidate, he repeated his call for "the return of Azerbaijanis to these lands" and declared this to be "our political and strategic goal, and we must gradually approach it." [178] In December 2016, he clarified that he does not "intend to reclaim [these lands] ... through military force" in the immediate future, but that the "time will come" when "we, Azerbaijanis, will return to all our historic lands", wherefore "[t]he main factor [for success] is strength... a more powerful army."[177]

•  Azerbaijan – Heydar Aliyev Order
•  Azerbaijan – Order of Sheikhulislam

Ilham Aliyev receiving the Supreme Order of the Turkic World during the 8th summit of the Organization of Turkic States

•  Romania – Order of the Star of Romania (2004)
•  Saudi Arabia – Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud (2005)
•  Georgia – Order of Honor of Georgia
•  Bulgaria - Order of Stara Planina
•  France – Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor
•  Poland – Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
•  Ukraine – First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (2008)
•  Kuwait – Order of Mubarak the Great
•  Greece – Gold Medal of the Hellenic Republic
•  Latvia – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars
•  Romania – Grand Cross of Faithful Service
•  Tajikistan – Order of Ismoili Somoni
•  Turkey – First Class of the Order of the State of Republic of Turkey (2013)
•  Ukraine – Order of Liberty (2013)
•  Serbia – Order of the Republic of Serbia (2013)[181]
•  Italy – Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (12 July 2018)
•  Bulgaria – "Friendship" order of Bulgaria (2019)
•  Kazakhstan – Order of the Golden Eagle (22 August 2022)[182]

International organizations

•  CIS Medal For Distinction in Protection of CIS State Borders and Badge for Strengthening of Border Cooperation (2008).[183]
• Organization of Turkic States – Supreme Order of Turkic World[184]

Others

•  Turkey – İhsan Doğramacı Prize for International Relations for Peace
•  Russia – Prepodobniy Sergiy Rodonejskiy first degree Order of Russian Orthodox Church
• International Military Sports Council – Grand Cordon Order of Merit[185]

Aliyev has also received honorary degrees from universities from the following states: Turkmenistan, Belarus, Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Romania, Jordan, Hungary, Azerbaijan, and South Korea.[180]