Turkish president congratulates Azerbaijani counterpart on his victory

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and congratulated him for his victory in the Presidential election.

During the meeting, Erdogan expressed his hope on Wednesday that Aliyev's reelection as President would be beneficial for Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received over 93 percent of the votes in early presidential election, according to exit polls.

Aliyev secured 93.9 percent, the US-based Oracle Advisory Group's representative George Brinbaum said in a news briefing in the capital Baku after voting concluded at 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday (1500GMT).

Aliyev's closest competitor, independent candidate Zahid Oruj, received a mere 1.8 percent, according to the results.

About 6.5 million people were eligible to vote, including those abroad, in the election.

The last presidential election, which is held every seven years in Azerbaijan, was on April 11, 2018. A decree signed by Aliyev late last year moved the vote forward from their initial date in October 2025.