Azerbaijani citizens temporarily residing in Moscow and Moscow region voted today at the early presidential election on a par with the republic, the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza reports: if as of 14:00 (MSK), 67.74% of voters cast their ballots in Azerbaijan, then at the polling station 47 at Azerbaijan's embassy in Russia - 60%. Moscow residents were the first one to vote, after 12:00 residents of the Moscow region have started to arrive at the polling station. According to the chairman of the precinct commission, Agalar Atamoglanov, the citizens who were not not on file at the embassy, were registered, so that they could vote.
The rector of the Moscow State University of Humanities and Economics, Vagif Bayramov, brought his Azerbaijani students to the polling station. "Today I accompany my students, there are children with disabilities among them. They vote for a strong president and strong Azerbaijan, and I am very pleased to be here, although I am a citizen of the Russian Federation. I am very happy today, because I also contribute to this historic event that is taking place in Azerbaijan today," he said.
The rector of MGGEU added that the students went to vote with joy. "When they announced that they are going to vote today, there were no questions, their pride in their state and patriotism prompted them to come and vote for the future of Azerbaijan," Vagif Bayramov said.
Part of the students arrived on the site in an organized manner. "We are all very happy that the Azerbaijanis of Russia have the opportunity to vote both in Moscow and in the consulates of St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. We observe a very large influx of Azerbaijani citizens, which shows that Azerbaijanis who live abroad, are not indifferent to the political future of their country and fulfill their civic duty," member of the board of Azerbaijan Youth Association of Russia Emin Hajiyev told Vestnik Kavkaza.
Citizens of Azerbaijan are travelling to Moscow for voting not only from the Moscow region, but also from the central Russia. For example, a group of listeners of the Academy of Law Management of the Federal Penal Service was brought from Ryazan by the head of the Ryazan regional public organization "Bulag" Elshan Aliyev. "Today, 65 students of the Academy, citizens of Azerbaijan, came to the polling station in the embassy to fulfill their duty for the first time. They came to Moscow with great joy, and after the voting will return to Ryazan and continue to study," he said.
"They have a festive mood, they are glad that they came here to fulfill their civic duty. They're in great mood, they promise to be excellent students and be useful to their state," Elshan Aliyev concluded.
Eight candidates were registered at the presidential election. Six candidates of them were nominated from political parties - Ilham Aliyev from the New Azerbaijan Party, Gudrat Hasanguliyev from the Whole Azerbaijani Popular Front Party, Araz Alizade from the Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, Faraj Guliyev from the National Revival Movement Party, Razi Nurullayev from the Frontists Initiative Group, Hafiz Hajiyev from the Modern Musavat Party, one was a self-nominee - Zahid Oruj - and one candidate was nominated from the Initiative Group - Sardar Mammadov from the Azerbaijan Democratic Party.
