Allegations of fraud in crucial Azerbaijan vote

AZERBAIJANIS voted yesterday in a crucial parliamentary election they hoped would give them a voice in this oil-rich former Soviet republic that has been run by the same family for years, but the opposition alleged massive fraud that could taint the results.

The election was an uneven contest in a country where President Ilham Aliev’s word is law and where a weak opposition has been reduced by arrests and campaign rallies broken up with police beatings.

Yet some argued the ballot could signal progress.

After voting, leader of the opposition Musavat Party, Isa Gambar, said: “I know that in any case, today is the beginning of a drastic democratic transformation.”

Others were less certain.

After casting her vote, Alla Mammedova said: “Honestly, I hope it will all turn out well but I have no faith in that.”

The balloting pitted Mr Aliev’s New Azerbaijan Party against three opposition parties that came together in the Azadliq (Freedom) bloc and adopted the orange of the peaceful Ukrainian revolution a year ago. They made the likelihood of election fraud a central campaign issue.

Turnout among the 4.7 million registered voters was 46.83%, according to election officials.

Mr Aliev said the campaign had been fair and promised “the process of democratisation would continue after these elections.”

But last night Ali Kerimli, one of the three main opposition leaders, said voting was “clearly falsified” and there were reports of opposition members of local election commissions being detained.

Executive secretary of the ruling party, Ali Akhmadov, said the opposition’s allegations of fraud “mean they acknowledge their own defeat and are now trying to blacken the election.”

International monitors will deliver their initial verdict on the election today.