03/07/2024 Azerbaijan (International Christian Concern) – Azerbaijan hosted presidential elections in early February, which resulted in the re-election of President Ilham Aliyev. Initially scheduled for October 2025, Aliyev ordered officials in December 2023 to prepare for elections, leaving two months for any potential alternative candidates to prepare for the election.
Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan since his father, who also served as president, died in 2003. The Aliyev family has been in power since the country gained independence from Soviet power in 1991. Many critics of the 2024 election have speculated that the early election date is due to Azerbaijan’s successful attack on Nagorno-Karabakh (commonly referred to as Artsakh by Armenians).
For many generations, both Armenians and Azerbaijanians have sought control over the territory. The successful attack significantly bolstered Aliyev’s popularity, initiating the urgent election.
According to the United States International Religious Freedom Report of 2022, 96% of Azerbaijan’s population is Muslim. The remaining population includes several religious groups, such as the Russian Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Seventh-day Adventists, Molokan Church, and Roman Catholic Church, and other Christians, including evangelical churches, Baptists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, and Baha’is.
While the Christian population of Azerbaijan itself is relatively small, the Christian population of neighboring Armenia is of equal concern considering the grave effects of Aliyev’s re-election. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has persisted for decades. Two documented wars and several additional conflicts have occurred since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The complex conflict has left many Armenians fearful for their fate as Azerbaijan and Aliyev continue to garner support from Turkey and other surrounding nations. While Russia has garnered peace negotiations in the past, its current occupation with the Ukraine war has left Armenians abandoned.
In stark contrast to Azerbaijan, the Armenian population is 92% Armenian Apostolic, which includes various Christian traditions. There are Christian and Jewish traditions dating back to the first century. With continued dominance and support for President Ilham Aliyev, the threat of elimination of one of the world’s oldest Christian nations is rising.
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