Thousands gathered in the capital of Azerbaijan on Saturday to protest the re-election of President Ilham Aliyev in a vote widely criticized by international election monitors.

The protesters in Baku demanded that the election be nullified and that Aliyev resign. Aliyev succeeded his father to the presidency of this small oil-rich nation in 2003, extending decades of dynastic rule.

Leading the march was Jamil Hasanli, the historian who ran as the main opposition candidate but snagged less than 6 percent of the vote to Aliyev’s 85 percent.

Police estimated that there were 1,500 at the rally, whereas the opposition put the number between 8,000 and 10,000. The protest was significantly smaller than in previous presidential elections in 2003 and 2008, when at least three to four times as many people gathered to contest the results.

“This government must go and it will go,” said Hasanli. He criticized Azerbaijani election officials, saying “they will all receive their punishment.”

Hasanli was forwarded as a candidate at the last minute after the opposition’s first choice was unable to register because he had Russian citizenship, and many observers said his campaign was poorly planned and lacked energy.