COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Azerbaijan -- Turkmenistan Of The Caucasus (rferl.org)

January 14, 2009, By Gorkhmaz Asgarov

In 1993, the government of Azerbaijan began an ominous tradition. That year, following an election in which they smashed their political opponents, the authorities felt strong enough to crack down on political freedom throughout the country.

This sort of "victory celebration" followed the 1995 parliamentary elections and the 1998 presidential poll. We saw it again after the 2000 and 2003 election cycles and following the 2005 parliamentary elections. And this year, Azerbaijan sees another presidential election -- and it is a safe bet what the aftermath will look like.

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