Baku, Dec 7 (EFE).- Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev called for an early election on February 7, according to a presidential decree on Thursday.
«The Central Election Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan should ensure that the extraordinary presidential elections of the Republic of Azerbaijan are scheduled for Feb.7, 2024,» Aliyev said in a statement published by the Azerbaijani presidency.
The presidential decree does not indicate the reasons for the early election.
However, it is generally believed that the president will run for a new seven-year term amid his rising popularity after the military takeover of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian separatists in September.
“I understand that (Aliyev) seeks to reaffirm his legitimacy at the highest moment of his popularity,» lawmaker Rasim Musabekov told EFE.
Musabekov said the early elections would be «a response to biased critics in the West and a sign that the president of Azerbaijan has the full support of the people.»
The 61-year-old president has been in power since 2003 and is currently serving his fourth term that is set to expire in April 2025.
In his third reelection as head of the country, in 2018, Aliyev obtained 86 percent of the votes, according to official data. EFE
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