BAKU: Polls opened on Sunday in Azerbaijan for a snap parliamentary election, marking the first such election since the country regained full control of a former breakaway region in a rapid military campaign last year.
The vote is expected to maintain the dominance of President Ilham Aliyev’s ruling New Azerbaijan party.
The election for the Milli Mejlis, Azerbaijan’s parliament, comes nearly two months ahead of the scheduled date. President Aliyev’s decision to move the election forward from November aligns with Baku’s hosting of the United Nations climate talks, known as COP29, scheduled to begin later this year.
The New Azerbaijan party, which currently holds 69 of the 125 parliamentary seats, is expected to retain its stronghold. The remainder of the parliament’s seats are occupied by smaller pro-government parties or independents, reinforcing the ruling party’s dominance.
The Musavat party, one of the main opposition groups, fielded 34 candidates, but only 25 were officially registered to run. The Republican Alternative opposition party will contest the election with 12 candidates.
This election follows a pivotal moment in Azerbaijan’s recent history: the military operation in the Karabakh region, which resulted in the reclamation of the area from ethnic Armenian forces.
The National Election Commission has announced that 50 organizations will be monitoring the election. The largest observer contingent, from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), is set to provide its preliminary assessment of the election on Monday.
