The Opposition's Strategy in Azerbaijan's 2013 Presidential Elections

Abstract

Azerbaijan's opposition, fragmented and weakened by repressions over the course of two decades, managed to unite and participate in the October 9 presidential elections with a broad coalition, which included traditional secular, pro-Western parties, Islamists, some pro-Russian forces, and even former Soviet functionaries. As a result, the opposition backed a single candidate and held relatively large rallies for the first time in many years. However, this unity was not sufficient to win at the ballot box. While the opposition succeeded in mobilizing protest voters, it failed to overcome the general public’s strong skepticism in the possibility of political change via elections. Now the major challenge for Azerbaijan’s opposition is to maintain its new-found unity until the 2015 parliamentary elections.