Elections in Azerbaijan: victory of the party in place, fraud according to the opposition

The ruling party in Azerbaijan unsurprisingly won the anticipated legislative elections this Sunday according to polls at the exit from the polls, the opposition denouncing for its part large frauds and a poll only intended to strengthen the grip of President Ilham Aliyev on this oil-rich Caucasian country.

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Aliev's party, Yeni ("New") Azerbaijan, won 69 of 125 seats in Parliament, according to polls. The Azerbaijani government had promised a democratic election, but opposition parties accused the government of obstructing their campaign and several of them boycotted the vote. " The elections were completely falsified, " said opponent Arif Gadjily of the Musavat party, denouncing large-scale ballot stuffing and multiple voting practices.

Confronted with the discontent caused by the economic slowdown, President Aliev wanted, according to his critics, to improve his image by organizing early legislative elections to replace the old guard of the regime by a new generation just as loyal to power.

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The central electoral commission is due to start publishing the first results this Sunday evening. Two hours before the closing of polling stations, the turnout approached 45%, according to official figures.