President Ilham Aliyev is the 4th President of Azerbaijan, serving since October 2003, and winning a fifth term in February 2024, securing 92% of the vote. He is the son of Heydar Aliyev, who was president from 1993 to 2003. He is an advocate of a moderate cultural Islam for Azerbaijan’s 9.8 million Muslim citizens, about 80% of whom are Shia.

Early life: Aliyev completed a PhD in history at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, where he remained as a lecturer from 1985 to 1990. From 1991 to 1994 he was involved in various business enterprises, then became vice president of the Azerbaijan oil and gas company, entering into politics in the late 1990s.

Prosperity from oil: Azerbaijan, rich in oil reserves, has enjoyed a period of prosperity and relative stability for the people and an increase of power and wealth for the ruling families. Aliyev’s own family has benefited immensely, owning parts of some major banks, construction and telecommunication firms and partially owning Azerbaijan’s oil and gas industries, with most of that wealth being kept in offshore companies.

Foreign policy: During President Aliyev’s tenure, Azerbaijan strengthened its ties and cooperation with the European Union (EU), developed economic relations with Russia, and cooperated with NATO. He also established close relations with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and was elected the chair of the Turkic Council in 2019. 

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Nagorno-Karabakh, recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan, has a majority Armenian population and is partially controlled by the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, which is not recognised by any UN member states. A war in 2020 resulted in Azerbaijan’s victory, but the conflict remains unresolved.