AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan's ruling party claimed victory in parliamentary elections last night, but opposition activists alleged widespread fraud and promised to take to the streets tomorrow.
Asked if the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party would retain its 75 seats in the 125-seat parliament, its secretary, Ali Ahmedov, told reporters: "Our information is that, yes, at the very least we have achieved that target."
The claim of victory came after a day marred with repeated accusations of fraud in the most important election in the history of this impoverished but oil-rich Caspian state.
Casting his vote yesterday, President Ilham Aliyev told local media: "After the elections, democratic reform will continue and Azerbaijan will develop further, ultimately evolving into a strong state."
He said the 2,000 candidates registered as candidates for 125 parliamentary seats showed "the nation believes in democratic elections".
A European diplomat said the vote had "gone as predicted" but wanted to wait for international observers, headed by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, to report. Opposition workers said they saw widespread fraud, the theft of ballot boxes and police intimidation.