Baku (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Azerbaijan's ruling party has won a clear victory in parliamentary polls boycotted by the mainstream opposition.
The Central Election Commission said that Aliyev's Yeni (New) Azerbaijan party took at least 69 seats in the country's 125-seat parliament, with 91 percent of votes counted early on Monday.
International rights groups have cast doubt on the election, accusing the government of jailing political opponents on trumped-up charges and limiting parties' ability to campaign.
Not a single election held in Azerbaijan since President Ilham Aliyev (pictured) came to power in 2003 has been recognised as free and fair by international observers.
During the 2010 elections, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OCSE) noted a number of irregularities during the election campaign and on election day.
The leader of the opposition Musavat Party, Isa Gambar, told the AFP news agency that a win for Aliyev's party was a foregone conclusion "in the absence of strong opposition candidates and amid widespread violations".
He decried "countless instances of electoral fraud, including multiple voting and illegal restrictions on observers' work".