Mass falsification claim Azerbaijan's opposition
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Harsh words from the opposition party in Azerbaijan's parliamentary elections of "mass falsification", has left the country in a quandry over what will happen next. "The elections were not able to reflect the will of the people and were totally falsified," said Ali Keremli, chief of the Popular Front Party and a top leader in the opposition coalition Azadliq (Freedom), at a press conference one hour after polling stations had closed.
Azadliq "will begin a peaceful constitutional battle for the cancellation of the falsified elections," he said.
The ruling party in the energy-rich former Soviet republic predicted victory. The ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party, which is headed by the country's powerful President Ilham Aliyev, denied there were violations and predicted it would retain its dominance of the 125-seat Melli Mejlis, or national assembly.
"We are expecting a majority," executive secretary Ali Akhmedov said shortly after poll closed, describing opposition complaints as "admitting their own defeat."
According to a private exit poll, Yeni Azerbaijan saw its share of legislative seats reduced from 74 to 56, while still remaining easily the biggest force, followed by Azadliq with 13 seats. Other seats were won by independents and small parties, the exit poll by Mitofsky International and Edison Media Research said.