Alexander Tsinker: There is no democracy in Azerbaijan  

Speaking with Alpha News, Head of the Institute of Eastern Europe and CIS countries in Israel Alexander Tsinker commented on the snap presidential election in Azerbaijan.

According to the expert, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev decided not to wait until 2025 to secure his leadership for a new term.

“It is quite obvious who will win the election in Azerbaijan, because all the candidates who ran for office campaigned not for themselves but for President Ilham Aliyev. It’s just a question of what percentage the Central Election Commission will write. Aliyev now believes that he is in favor and that he has recaptured the territories, so he puts pressure on the Armenian leadership. Each time, he sets new conditions for signing a peace treaty. He believes that at this moment it would be quite a good idea to hold elections and not wait until 2025 to secure his leadership for another term. It is clear that there is no democracy in this country. There is an authoritarian regime,” Tsinker said.

“Aliyev has problems with the outside world, especially with European countries. The United States also has certain requirements for reform that does not move forward in Azerbaijan. Speaking about the need to somehow come to an agreement with Armenia, not by putting pressure on or increasing the number of weapons but by finding compromise, I believe that this is why he called the election. He protected his rear because there are also certain economic problems in Azerbaijan. The most interesting thing is that it turns out that in Azerbaijan, the average salary is less than in Armenia. So it is quite possible that the privileged class of Azerbaijan is living a lavish lifestyle while the majority of the population is not very rich. So, he had to call the election in advance,” Tsinker noted.

According to the expert, it is unlikely that anything will change in Aliyev’s foreign policy; he will continue to make new demands on Armenia.

“Aliyev will continue to make new demands on Armenia. In this situation, it seems to me that it would be fine if there was some kind of platform with witnesses who could document everything, rather than bilateral talks, as Azerbaijan wants. The same idea of Armenia regarding a non-aggression pact or arms limitation is quite relevant. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan does not agree to this,” the expert emphasized.

“Let’s hope Aliyev will not wage some kind of short-term war on the border with Armenia while Russia and the US are busy with their elections and the situation in the Middle East continues. So, we must keep our eyes open, and you can expect anything from them,” Tsinker concluded.