BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 7. Today, voting kicked off at 8:00 for the snap presidential election at polling station No. 97 in the Terter-Nakhchivan-Goranboy electoral district No. 58, set up in the town of Sugovushan, Trend reports.
Residents of the Talish village and construction workers in Sugovushan have turned up at this polling spot, casting their votes for the presidential election with a mix of pride and excitement. These elections hold special significance as they unfold in areas liberated from occupation after three decades.
The citizens are actively and proudly taking part in the presidential elections of the Republic of Azerbaijan, showing enthusiasm and a deep sense of pride.
From 08:00 (GMT+4), polling stations will be open for voters, and close at 19:00. The Central Election Commission Secretariat's Information Center will share preliminary updates on the voting process and results at 10:00, 12:00, 15:00, 17:00, and 19:00.
Candidates for the presidency in the upcoming elections include incumbent President Ilham Aliyev (New Azerbaijan Party), independent contenders Zahid Oruj and Fuad Aliyev, Razi Nurullayev (National Front Party), Fazil Mustafa (Great Order Party), Elshad Musayev (Great Azerbaijan Party), and Gudrat Gasanguliyev (Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party).
The voter roll boasts 6,478,623 people who will cast their votes across 6,537 polling stations throughout the country.
A total of 90,372 observers are registered to monitor the election, with 790 of them representing 72 international organizations from 89 countries.
For the first time in the history of independent Azerbaijan, the upcoming election will span across the entire country, including the lands liberated from Armenian occupation in 2020. In the liberated territories, 26 polling stations have been established.
For Azerbaijani citizens residing abroad, 49 polling stations have been established in the embassies and consulates of 37 countries. This allows over 23,000 expatriates to participate in the voting process from various corners of the globe.
A robust media presence of 190 international entities is dedicated to observing the election, with 216 of their representatives officially registered as international observers.