Azerbaijan's Ruling Party Maintains Majority amid Controversial Election

A snap parliamentary election in Azerbaijan, called by President Ilham Aliyev, saw his ruling New Azerbaijan party anticipate a majority. The election, the first since Azerbaijan's offensive in Karabakh, faced accusations of unfairness. The opposition participated for the first time in 15 years amidst concerns about human rights and political repression.

Azerbaijan's ruling party, New Azerbaijan, was on track for a single-seat majority in Sunday's snap parliamentary election, as per an exit poll conducted by Oracle Advisory Group. President Ilham Aliyev's party is expected to secure 63 out of 125 seats, a drop from 69 in the last parliament.

Despite the forecasted reduction in seats, supporters of Aliyev are poised to maintain dominance in the new legislature. Numerous seats are likely to be claimed by nominally independent candidates who unofficially support the government, along with minor pro-government parties.

This election was notably the first since Azerbaijan reclaimed the Karabakh region from ethnic Armenians, a territory that enjoyed three decades of de facto independence. Aliyev capitalized on this territorial victory to secure his fifth presidential term earlier this year. The voting process, however, has faced allegations of bias, with opposition voices expressing doubts over its fairness.

The Central Election Commission reported that around 42,000 people in Karabakh were registered to vote, despite accusations from Armenia of ethnic cleansing in the region, which Azerbaijan denies. The opposition Musavat party, partaking in the election after a 15-year boycott, is projected to win no seats.

Concerns about Azerbaijan's human rights record have grown, exacerbated by the arrests of independent journalists and political campaigners. These issues are drawing heightened scrutiny as Baku prepares to host the COP29 climate summit in November.

(With inputs from agencies.)