International monitors to travel to polling booths for presidential election in Azerbaijan

Today, Wednesday, October 9, the nation of the Republic of Azerbaijan will hold a Presidential election which is being monitored by international observers from several international organizations including CAPDI (Centrist Asian Democratic Parties International) of which Seychelles founding President Sir James R. Mancham is the Vice President. CAPDI has sent an impressive delegation to Baku for the event.

Yesterday, Tuesday, October 8, the monitors met at the Four Seasons Hotel Baku with the representative of President Ilham Aliyev of the New Azerbaijan Party which has been the ruling party for 10 years and is making a bid for another 5 years. It is to be noted that Azerbaijan is a wealthy nation with the discovery of vast amounts of oil and gas. President Ilham Aliyev was recently credited “Man of the Year” by Business News Asia magazine for his vision and leadership in reducing poverty and for his policy to double the GDP of his nation by 2020. The monitors also met the Presidential candidate of the Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, the Presidential candidate of the Azerbaijan Social Democratic Party, and Zahid Oruc, a Presidential candidate nominated on his own initiative.

For nearly 2 months the life of the Azerbaijan nation has been dominated by debate concerning the election, and according the polls, President Aliyev is forecast to win another 5-year term. With the political turmoil in many nations surrounding the Caspian region, public opinion appears to tend to the view that “the devil we know is better than the devil we don’t know” particularly as the charismatic President Aliyev remains an engaging and popular leader with an impressive track record of achievements which include making Baku one of the most modern capitals of the world today.

This morning, President Mancham will lead one of the 9 groups of international monitors and travel to different polling booths to observe the Presidential election in progress. The result of the election is expected this evening after which the monitors will hold a press conference.