Elections in South Caucasus

The parliamentary and presidential elections which were either held or are still planned in three countries of the South Caucasus can be considered as the most significant political events of 2018.

Snap parliamentary elections in Armenia, which are planned for December 9, are the cornerstone of the new political agenda which has been set by Armenia’s velvet revolution. As expected, April 2018 elections in Azerbaijan has resulted in the re-election of Ilham Aliyev, which can be considered as a step towards the process of strengthening his rule. In Georgia, this year the president is elected through the direct popular vote for the last time. Taking into account that none of the presidential candidates won more than 50 percent of the votes, two candidates with the most votes are to compete in a runoff. 

We asked political scientists – Edgar Vardanyan and Farid Guliyev and lawyer Vakhtang Natsvlishvili to reflect on the process and results of the elections in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia with regard to democratic political culture – what tendencies can be identified and how did the elections influenced the process of democratization in South Caucasus?