Azerbaijan Non-Surprise: Aliyev's Ruling Party Dominates Elections (Press TV)

There does not appear to be much interest in the US media in Sunday's elections in Azerbaijan, with only the Associated Press providing a short story. Press TV, however, takes an interest in the issue of a powerful government claiming legitimacy:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's ruling party has won the parliamentary elections with a majority of 73 out of 125 constituencies with more than 90 percent of the votes counted so far.

According to the results of the Central Election Commission (CEC) released on Monday, nearly 700 candidates competed on Sunday for the 125 seats in the single chamber of Azerbaijan's parliament. 

A wide range of parties was represented, and about half the candidates ran as independents, but the main rivalry was between Aliyev's Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) and the opposition block Musavat. 

The Musavat and other opposition parties complained Sunday that their observers were barred from some polling stations. They also reported cases of multiple voting. 

CEC Chairman Mazahir Panahov, speaking on state television, expressed his hope that the elections would be transparent and democratic. 

Panahov accused some foreign electoral observers of interfering in the elections more than the scope of their authority on Monday. He said that the CEC has received complaints on the phone that are under investigation by the commission. 

Some foreign observers had reported flaws in the elections, while others described it as more democratic in comparison with the previous one. 

The Musavat leader, however, said he doubted the vote count would be fair. 

"The opposition's chances are high, but high in terms of the number of votes it will get," Isa Qambar said after casting his ballot. "But who ends up in parliament will depend, not on the will of the people, but on the will of those who sit in the presidential administration." 

The ruling party, however, denied the elections were flawed. 

"The parliamentary elections took place successfully, in democratic, free and transparent conditions," party leader Ali Ahmadov told journalists after the polls closed on Sunday evening. 

Just over 50 percent of the 4.95 million eligible voters took part in the country's parliamentary elections.

Aliyev, 48, took over in 2003 from his father, the late Geidar Aliyev, who had led Azerbaijan, first as Communist Party boss during Soviet times, and then as president from 1993 to 2003. 

After being re-elected in 2008 amid opposition allegations of vote rigging, Aliyev pushed through a constitutional referendum to scrap presidential term limits, allowing him to rule indefinitely. 

Three rounds of parliamentary elections were previously held in Azerbaijan in 1995, 2000 and 2005.