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By Trend

Presidential election period is an important event that ensures stability and progress in government institutions and preserves well being among all Azerbaijani citizens, political analyst and international relations expert at the Milwaukee-based Marquette University Peter Tase told Trend.

He further said that Azerbaijan's democratic standards have matured, and the country has stable economic growth.

Next presidential election in Azerbaijan is to be held on April 11, 2018, according to an order signed Feb. 5 by the country's President Ilham Aliyev. According to the Calendar Plan of Azerbaijan’s Central Election Commission (CEC), pre-election campaigning starts 23 days prior to the voting day and is stopped 24 hours before the start of voting. Thus, the campaigning will start on March 19 and end at 08:00 (local time) on April 10.

"This year will mark impressive accomplishments in the strengthening of Azerbaijani democracy, essential progress in the war against poverty and unemployment, as well as make Azerbaijan a nation that can be used as an example in the region for its transparent institutions and consolidated democratic standards," Tase said.

Tase further noted that the major improvements and accomplishments in the infrastructure, education policies, tourism and public diplomacy, make incumbent President Ilham Aliyev the best candidate and certainly ensure his upcoming electoral victory in 2018.

Tase believes that President Ilham Aliyev will be the clear winner of this presidential race and Azerbaijan will continue to steadily fight for securing its full territorial sovereignty in the Armenia-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and the country's seven surrounding districts.

"We have to remind ourselves that the Armenian aggression in the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan is a clear threat to European security and harms economic growth in the region," he said.

"Azerbaijan will continue with the high level of transformations provided that Mr. Ilham Aliyev will be the next president of Azerbaijan," he said.

"Based on the admirable economic growth of Azerbaijan and government effectiveness nourished and led by President Ilham Aliyev, it is clear that Azerbaijan will continue on the path of major transformations under the leadership of Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who has been the architect of modern and industrialized Azerbaijan," Tase said.

The 6th congress of the New Azerbaijan Party was held in the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku Feb. 8. The decision was made during the congress to nominate chairman of the party Ilham Aliyev as a presidential candidate. The decision was unanimously adopted.

Back in December 2017, according to a survey conducted by the public association “ELS” Independent Research Center, about 91.4 percent of respondents support the foreign policy of President Ilham Aliyev.

The public association “ELS” Independent Research Center conducted the survey to assess the current socio-political situation, voter turnout, and the population’s attitudes to the current issues.

The study was conducted in November-December 2017 in the form of an express survey in 68 districts of the country (with the exception of the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the occupied districts).

The survey was conducted at respondents’ homes, face to face in the form of a poll. In general, 4,560 respondents were surveyed.

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