Azerbaijani ruling party secures majority seats in parliamentNovember 2, 2015 - 10:49 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Loyalists of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev swept the board in a parliamentary election on Sunday, November 1 that mainstream opposition and international monitors had shunned, Reuters reports. Candidates from the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan) Party won the majority of 125 seats in the single-chamber parliament, the Central Election Commission (CEC) head said early on Monday. Parliament is elected every five years through voting for individual candidates in electoral districts. A host of small parties and "independents" loyal to the government took almost all the rest. Sunday's victory further cements Aliyev's grip on this mainly Muslim country of about 9 million people between Iran, Russia and Turkey, cushioned against calls for reform by its strategic importance to the West as an oil and gas exporter. The ruling party claimed victory shortly after polls closed. Exit polls, conducted by local and foreign companies, also indicated a ruling party victory. The opposition has already cried foul over the election. "The election in Azerbaijan is conducted in an undemocratic environment," the opposition Musavat Party's leader, Arif Gajily, told Reuters. "Our observers monitored a lot of violations, including ballot stuffing, during the vote." Musavat and other mainstream opposition parties in Azerbaijan boycotted the poll. Human Rights Watch said this week that Azeri authorities had convicted or imprisoned at least 35 journalists and rights and political activists in 2014 and that "the crackdown continued at a dizzying pace." The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it would not monitor the election because restrictions imposed on it by the authorities made credible monitoring impossible. The Azeri President, who left his polling station without making any statement, said later on Sunday that the OSCE's decision not to monitor the poll "was not acceptable." Some foreign journalists, including reporters from Reuters, were not given accreditation to cover the election. The foreign ministry cited technical difficulties. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |