2003 Azerbaijani presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Azerbaijan on 15 October 2003. As expected, Ilham Aliyev, son of the outgoing president, Heydar Aliyev, was officially elected with an overwhelming majority in a vote international observers deemed not to be free or fair.

The election was characterized by ballot stuffing and manipulated voter lists. The final vote tabulation was kept from OSCE/ODIHR monitors, which meant that they could not judge the accuracy of the results. Police arrested members of electoral commissions who refused to sign paperwork on vote counts from their precincts. The opposition claimed that Gambar had won the election. The opposition protested against the election results, with the Aliyev regime arresting hundreds, including Gambar.