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The presidential race in the former Soviet republic was dominated by Aliyev, whose low-key campaign for a third term reflected his confidence that he will roll over the main opposition challenger and eight fringe candidates, Al Jazeera reports.

The TV channel reminds that Aliyev inherited the presidency from his father, Geidar Aliyev, who had ruled Azerbaijan first as the Communist Party boss and then as a post-Soviet president for the greater part of three decades. “The elder Aliyev fully dominated the political scene, and just a few months before his death secured his son's victory in an October 2003 presidential election that drew Western observer criticism over massive violations and triggered violent clashes between protesters and police,” the Al Jazeera reports.

Initially dismissed by foes as a pale shadow of his powerful father, Ilham Aliyev quickly consolidated his power and stifled dissent. He was re-elected by a landslide in a 2008 vote boycotted by major opposition parties and again criticised by Western observers. He then rammed through a constitutional referendum that scrapped presidential term limits. International rights groups have accused him of pressuring and harassing government critics.

According to Foreign Policy article, All this means that the result of today’s poll is a foregone conclusion. But that doesn't mean that supporters of democracy should give up. “In places like Azerbaijan, Election Day merely serves as a reminder that democracy also depends on what happens during the other 364 days a year. Just to be clear: this is not to deride the importance of voting. But genuine democracy also requires a flourishing civil society, the myriad institutions that allow people to organize their lives and express their desire for change as they see fit,” the article says.

The author notes that President Aliyev knows this, and he's correspondingly determined to prevent any challenges to his rule by cracking down on all and every manifestation of authentic associational life. “Let's be realistic: the likelihood of even modest democratic change in Azerbaijan is infinitesimally low in the short term,” the publication reports.

According to BBC the pre-election period in Azerbaijan has, nonetheless, been a relatively calm one. But it is "post-election disorder" that worries the authorities. Riots over corruption in regions like Ismayilli and Quba in January were seen as a sign of major public discontent with regional governors and, in effect, the ruling elite. “Observers believe there is only one conceivable outcome from the election - another term for President Aliyev. Yet after the unprecedented outbursts of violence against corruption in Azerbaijan's regions, it is the period immediately after the election that will determine how popular Ilham Aliyev really is,” the material says.

EurasiaNet writes that Aliyev who declined to campaign in the weeks before Azerbaijan’s presidential election on October 9 is already gearing up for his inauguration ceremony. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an employee at one of Baku’s largest florists told EurasiaNet.org that the government prepaid for flowers for an inauguration ceremony at the Heydar Aliyev Center.