Azerbaijan ruling party wins polls shunned by opposition – partial results

BAKU, Azerbaijan – Azerbaijan’s ruling party was poised to win at least 69 seats in the country’s 125-seat parliament in polls Sunday, November 1, that were boycotted by the mainstream opposition, the election commission said after 91 percent of votes were counted.

The outright victory by the ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan party cements strongman President Ilham Aliyev’s grip on power in the tightly controlled Caucasus nation.

International rights groups have cast doubt on the vote, accusing the government of jailing political opponents on trumped-up charges and limiting parties’ ability to campaign in the ex-Soviet state.

The country’s leading opposition parties, including the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), the Musavat party, and the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, all boycotted the polls.

None of the elections held in Azerbaijan since Aliyev came to power in 2003 have been recognized as free and fair by international observers.

More than 700 candidates from around a dozen parties were standing for the parliament, to be elected for a five-year term.

Over 5.9 million people were registered to vote. – Rappler.com