Azerbaijani opposition candidates ‘prevented from registering for elections’

Several opposition and independent candidates have claimed to have been prevented from registering for 9 February’s snap parliamentary elections. Other opposition figures have reported facing pressure from the authorities to withdraw. Ilgar Mammadov, the leader of the Republican Alternative Party (ReAl), reported on 2 January that several candidates from their ‘Real Republicans’ bloc were facing pressure from the government to withdraw. ‘We know why these threats are being made. The numb