Azerbaijan strongman Aliyev wins fourth term

Azerbaijan strongman Ilham Aliyev secured a fourth consecutive term with 86 per cent of the vote in a snap election boycotted by the main opposition parties, final results showed today.

Aliyev's crushing win in yesterday's poll was widely seen as a foregone conclusion with the downtrodden opposition unable to mount a serious challenge to his authoritarian rule boosted by the steady influx of petrodollars into his government's coffers.

Aliyev, who has been in power for 15 years, addressed the nation last evening, thanking Azerbaijanis for "support and trust".

"Citizens of Azerbaijan have voted for security and progress," he said in a televised address.

The Central Election Commission put the turnout at 74.5 per cent.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was the first foreign leader to congratulate Aliyev. Russian President Vladimir Putin also hailed his "decisive victory," the Kremlin said.

In a letter to the president-elect, Putin "praised Ilham Aliyev's efforts aimed at strengthening friendly, good-neighbourly relations between Moscow and Baku."