Amid opposition boycott and lack of genuine international observers Azerbaijan’s ruling party claims victory in rigged parliamentary election

After the November 1st parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) has claimed victory, as most established opposition parties declined to participate in what critics say is a farce. Some 5 million Azeri’s were eligible to vote for 767 candidates for the 125 seat parliament. Ahead of the elections most opposition parties announced their withdrawal from the elections, although some independent opposition candidates participated. The European Parliament and the OSCE refused to observe the elections as the repressive regime makes it “impossible for the mission to carry out effective and credible election observation”.