Zahid Oruj

Zahid Oruj
Zahid Oruc
Oruj in 2023
Member of the National Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 March 2003
Personal details
Born	1 February 1972 Alnabat, Azerbaijan
Political party	Motherland Party (1992–2013) Independent (2013–present)[1]

Zahid Maharram oglu Orujov (Azerbaijani: Zahid Məhərrəm oğlu Orucov, commonly known as Zahid Oruj; born 1 February 1972^[2]) is an Azerbaijan politician and chairperson of the Azerbaijani Social Research Center (2019).^[3] Oruj is pro-government.^[4] He was a member of the pro-government Motherland Party from 1992 to 2013.

In the 2005 parliamentary elections, Oruj won the vote in the Barda electoral district while running as a candidate for the pro-government Motherland Party.^[5] The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2010 that the Aliyev regime in Azerbaijan had engaged in electoral fraud by preventing Nemat Aliyev, a member of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, from running.^[5]

In 2018, Oruj ran for president against Ilham Aliyev and officially received 3.12% of the vote, although this election was characterized as fraudulent.^[6][7] During the election, Oruj asked his supporters to vote for Aliyev and praised his regime.^[8]

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
2. "Zahid Oruj". Social Research Center. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
3. "On the appointment of Z.M. Oruj as the Chairman of the Management Board of the Center for Social Research, 11 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan February 2019 "Order"". Archived from the original on 8 April 2019.
4. Kucera, Joshua (12 November 2023). "After Winning Back Nagorno-Karabakh, What Will Aliyev Do Next?". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
5. "European Court Finds Azerbaijan Guilty Of Election Fraud". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 9 April 2010. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
6. "Azerbaijan's President Secures Fourth Term In Vote Criticized As Uncompetitive". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 12 April 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
7. Azeri president's supporters heckle as observers declare election unfair Archived 22 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine Reuters, 12 April 2018
8. "For many Azerbaijani voters, the only choice is to laugh". Eurasianet. 2018. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.