Protests in Azerbaijan: Hot Months Expected Ahead of the Presidential Election

Author(s): Aleksandra Jarosiewicz
Editor(s): Jeronim Perovic, Lili Di Puppo, Iris Kempe, Heiko Pleines, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung
Series: Caucasus Analytical Digest (CAD)
Issue: 46
Pages: 2-4
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publication Year: 2013

Azerbaijan has seen a series of protests since the beginning of the year. Various social groups have been involved in them: young people, merchants, and residents of the town of Ismayilli. These outbursts have been grassroots protests, independent of each other as the individual groups of protesters were not mutually coordinating their actions. What these protests had in common was their resistance to the government's abuse of power and corruption. The protests reveal the continuing existence of a socio-economic crisis and intensify the political dispute between the general public and the ruling class. They could also potentially reveal a conflict inside the political elite. The protests are likely to re-emerge in the coming months, given the fact that presidential elections are scheduled for autumn.

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