Zahid Oruj

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.

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]

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]