25.08 Azerbaijans Aliyev Registered for Running in Presidential Vote
BAKU, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - Election officials in Azerbaijan said Saturday they registered the ex-Soviet nations incumbent leader Ilham Aliyev for running in the October presidential election for a third five-year term.
Aliyev succeeded his father as president of the oil-rich and tightly controlled South Caucasus nation in 2003. Opposition accused him of allegedly pocketing immense oil revenues, cracking down on critics and abusing human rights.
A presidential candidate needs at least 40,000 signatures to get registered, and an election official told RIA Novosti that more than 42,000 signatures have been checked allowing Aliyev to run in the vote.
In 2009, Azerbaijans constitution was amended to remove a two-term limit for presidents in a move that was harshly criticized by opposition.
Seventeen other presidential hopefuls have submitted their registration papers, including Oscar-winning screenwriter Rustam Ibragimbekov who was fielded by the National Council of Democratic Forces, a coalition of Azerbaijans main opposition parties.
The 74-year-old screenwriter Ibragimbekov, who holds Azeri and Russian citizenships, was named a single opposition candidate in July. He has applied to give up his Russian passport because Azeri nationals with dual citizenship are not eligible for the presidency.
Ibragimbekov wrote scripts for a string of highly successful Soviet and Russian films, including Burnt By the Sun, a drama about Stalinist-era purges directed by Nikita Mikhalkov that won the 1994 Best Foreign Film Academy Award.
