As expected, Azeri ruling party strengthens grip after parliamentary election

Azerbaijan’s ruling party was leading on Monday in a snap parliamentary election called by President Ilham Aliyev to consolidate power and speed economic reforms by replacing the old guard associated with his father.

Candidates from the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan) party won about 65 of 125 seats in the single-chamber parliament, Mazahir Panakhov, the Central Election Commission (CEC) head, said early on Monday after counting the results from around 110 districts.

A host of small parties and independents loyal to the government took almost all the rest.

The single-chamber parliament is elected every five years through voting for individual candidates in electoral districts.

Aliyev, who has been in power for 17 years, called the election in December, nine months before it was formally due. Officials from his ruling party said the move was “to support the president’s policy on reforms and personnel changes”.

Opposition leaders and independent analysts said Sunday’s elections would allow the president to remove unpopular old elites under the guise of political reforms, while still retaining his party’s hold on power.

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