12:41, 19 October 2013

Ilham Aliev officially takes office as President of Azerbaijan

Poster of Ilham Aliev supporters. Baku, October 9, 2013. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the ‘Caucasian Knot’.

On October 19, Ilham Aliev, re-elected as President of Azerbaijan for the third term in a row, took the oath at a ceremony, held in the hall of the Azerbaijani National Assembly.

Let us remind you that on October 19 the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan validated the outcome of the presidential election held on October 9.

The inauguration was attended by state and governmental officials, MPs, leaders of pro-governmental political parties, public activists and ambassadors of foreign states.

Unlike the two previous inaugurations, this one was held behind closed doors and was not broadcast on TV.

In his turn, Jamil Gasanli, the presidential candidate from the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), would not admit the election outcome, stating that it was falsified.

During the debates on the election outcome at the Constitutional Court, Mr Gasanli asked for a permission to speak. However, the head of the Constitutional Court Farkhad Abdullaev did not give him the floor, referring to the fact that he "was not a party to the case."

Then, Jamil Gasanli left the Constitutional Court, treating its decision as "usurpation of power."

Author: Faik Medzhid

Source: CK correspondent