1992 Azerbaijani presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Azerbaijan on 7 June 1992,[1] the first in more than seventy years not held under communist control. Five candidates were on the ballot, seeking election to a five-year term. The election featured the unprecedented use of television, posters, and other media by multiple candidates to communicate platforms and solicit votes.[2]

1992 Azerbaijani presidential election

7 June 1992

Nominee Abulfaz Elchibey Nizami Suleymanov Party APFP DUIA Popular vote 1,829,448 1,017,217 Percentage 60.9% 33.8%

President before election Isa Gambar Musavat Elected President Abulfaz Elchibey APFP

The candidates included APF leader Abulfaz Elchibey, former parliament speaker Yaqub Mamedov, Movement for Democratic Reforms leader and Minister of Justice Ilyas Ismayilov, National Democratic Group leader Rafig Abdullayev, and Union of Democratic Intelligentsia candidate Nizami Suleymanov.[2] Two other candidates, from the NIP and the APF, withdrew from the race during the campaign.[2] To register, each candidate had to collect at least 20,000 signatures and present them to the Central Electoral Commission. Aliyev was unable to run because of a constitutional provision barring candidates over sixty-five years of age. The government agreed to allow international observers to monitor the election. Etibar Mammadov, Elchibey's main rival in the polls, dropped out of the race a few days before the election, calling for rule by a coalition government and the postponement of balloting until Azerbaijan's state of war with Armenia ended.[2]

Elchibey's election as president signaled a break in communist party dominance of Azerbaijani politics. He received 60.9% of more than three million votes cast. The runner-up, Suleimanov, made a surprise showing of 34% of the vote by promising Azerbaijanis instant wealth and victory in Nagorno-Karabakh. No other candidate garnered as much as five per cent of the vote.[2]

Elchibey had been a student of Arabic philology, a translator, and a college instructor. In 1975 the KGB imprisoned him for two years for anti-Soviet activities. In a postelection address to the nation, he announced a stabilization phase based on the transfer of power to his democratic faction. When that phase ended in 1993, constitutional, economic, and cultural reforms would be implemented, according to this plan. His top domestic policy priorities, creation of a national army and a national currency backed by gold reserves, were seen as necessary elements for national sovereignty.[2] Despite the new president's intentions, the war in Nagorno-Karabakh dominated politics, and Elchibey and his party steadily lost influence and popular appeal because of continual military losses, a worsening economy, political stalemate, and government corruption.[2]

Results

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Abulfaz Elchibey	Azerbaijani Popular Front Party	1,829,448	60.86
	Nizami Suleymanov	Democratic Union of the Intelligentsia of Azerbaijan	1,017,217	33.84
	Yaqub Mamedov	Independent	51,144	1.70
	Ilyas Ismayilov	Social Movement for Democratic Reform in Azerbaijan	20,216	0.67
	Rafig Abdullayev	People's Republic Party	15,646	0.52
Against all			72,099	2.40
Total			3,005,770	100.00
Valid votes			3,005,770	97.07
Invalid/blank votes			90,707	2.93
Total votes			3,096,477	100.00
Source: Nohlen et al.

References

1. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p357 ISBN 0-19-924958-X
2. Curtis, Glenn E. (1995). "Azerbaijan: Government and Politics:The Presidential Election of 1992". U.S. Country Studies, Library of Congress. Retrieved August 31, 2008.