Survey by U.S. Pollster Arthur J. Finkelstein & Associates Shows High Approval Rating for Aliyev Ahead of Presidential Elections in Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

A survey by renowned U.S. polling firm Arthur J. Finkelstein & Associates shows President Ilham Aliyev is enjoying the overwhelming support of Azerbaijanis, just two weeks ahead of Presidential elections in the country.

"President Aliyev holds a commanding lead in the upcoming Presidential elections to be held April 11^th," George Birnbaum, Executive Director of Arthur J. Finkelstein, said at a press conference in Baku. "Currently 82.9% of the voters say that he will be their choice on election day."

Qualitative and quantitative research shows that Azerbaijan's security and economic issues are among the top priorities among voters, which is reflected in the large support for Aliyev.

79% of the voters polled said that President Aliyev is working to enhance and improve economic conditions for the population. In fact, more than half of the voters polled said their own personal economic situation has improved over the past five years. "This positive recognition for the job the President is doing is the reason he has the electoral support of the nation," Birnbaum said.

Meanwhile the vast majority of Azerbaijanis believe Aliyev is protecting their country, with 73% saying he "is keeping the country safe". "Voters trust their President, believing he is taking the country forward and will continue to protect it," Birnbaum said. The Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories - which has resulted in over a million displaced Azerbaijanis - remains a hot-button issue for voters.

Additional data shows that 79% said the President "cares about its citizens", 73% said he is "preventing an immigration crisis" and 85% agreed he is "representing the nation well internationally."

"We are confident about the accuracy of this data," Birnbaum said. "The President enjoys strong popularity among Azerbaijanis due to a combination of performance and leadership."  

The survey of 1,500 likely voters was conducted March 13-22 in collaboration with the local organisation Citizens Labour Rights Protection League and was a representative sample of the population across geographic and demographic factors. The margin of error is +/- 2.5 per cent.

Eight candidates are campaigning for the office of president on April 11^th.