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Apathy and allegations mark Azerbaijan election
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Apathy and allegations mark Azerbaijan election
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By Lada Yevgrashina
BAKU (Reuters) - Voter apathy and opposition allegations of fraud marred a parliamentary election on Sunday in oil-producing Azerbaijan, with the ruling party of President Ilham Aliyev assured of victory.
At 3 p.m. (6 a.m. EST),...
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A woman leaves a voting booth during parliamentary elections in the village of Nardaran, some 35 km (22 miles) north-east of Baku, November 7, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Irada Humbatova
By Lada Yevgrashina
BAKU |
Sun Nov 7, 2010 9:49am EST
BAKU (Reuters) - Voter apathy and opposition allegations of fraud marred a parliamentary election on Sunday in oil-producing Azerbaijan, with the ruling party of President Ilham Aliyev assured of victory.
At 3 p.m. (6 a.m. EST), official turnout was 38 percent in a lacklustre election that the opposition alleged featured cases of multiple voting and ballot stuffing.
Rights groups accuse the ruling New Azerbaijan Party of curbing democratic freedoms, cushioned against Western criticism by the ex-Soviet republic's strategic importance as an oil and gas exporter and transit route for the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
"In this district it's decided in advance that the ruling candidate will win," 58-year-old Nader Aliyev said at Baku's main market after voting.
Ilham Aliyev has firmly consolidated power in the Caucasus country since succeeding his father, long-serving leader Heydar Aliyev, in 2003. Heydar's portrait and words still adorn schools and public buildings across the country.
The younger Aliyev has presided over an oil-fueled economic boom in the mainly Muslim country bordering Iran, Turkey and Russia, spawning rapid construction in the capital Baku and the opulence of an emerging jet set.
Critics say the Baku facelift masks a widening gap between rich and poor.
Polls opened to the sound of the national anthem and Aliyev voted with his wife, but did not speak to media. A spokesman for the ruling party, campaigning under the slogan "Strong state, strong welfare," said the party was "very satisfied" with the conduct of the vote.
OIL-Fueled ECONOMIC BOOM
Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have expressed concern over what they describe as credible reports of intimidation and the disqualification of candidates.
"Unfortunately, these elections are heading for mass falsification," opposition Popular Front leader Ali Kerimli told reporters after voting.
Opposition Musavat leader Isa Gambar said the vote "resembled the elections of the late Soviet period."
The government says projects by oil majors including BP, ExxonMobil and Chevron have brought better living standards for all, but the International Monetary Fund has urged diversification of the economy away from heavy dependence on oil revenues.
"I voted for the ruling party candidate because I'm happy with all the rejuvenation going on in Azerbaijan," said 50-year-old Firudin Ismailov.
The authorities also argue they also have brought long-term stability to the country of 9 million people, strategically located in a volatile region at the threshold of Central Asia.
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