Azerbaijani President Pulls Out of Election Race

But the KGB and Communist Party veteran who has held control for 14 years has overlooked at least one crucial point, according to analysts. They say Ilham is a political lightweight and not up to the job.

And, with around a dozen candidates expected to stand on October 15th, the vote could spawn infighting and fragmentation – fuelling the kind of instability Heydar Aliev has spent his career trying to control.