Azerbaijan_presidential_election,_2003
Presidential elections were held in Azerbaijan on 15 October 2003. As expected, Ilham Aliyev, son of the outgoing president, Heydar Aliyev, was officially elected with an overwhelming majority in a vote international observers deemed to be not to be free or fair.[1][2]
The election was characterized by ballot stuffing and manipulated voter lists. The final vote tabulation was kept from OSCE/ODIHR monitors, which meant that they could not judge the accuracy of the results.[3] Police arrested members of electoral commissions who refused to sign paperwork on vote counts from their precincts.[3] The opposition claimed that Gambar had won the election.[3] The opposition protested against the election results, with the Aliyev regime arresting hundreds, including Gambar.[4]