Azerbaijan's ruling party wins election, according to exit polls

Sunday's ballot monitored by international observers from 58 countries including Pakistan

BAKU: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev's ruling party, New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) on Sunday won a majority of seats in snap parliamentary elections, according to exit polls.

Despite heavy snow fall and freezing temperatures, the voters turn-out remained high with millions of people casting their votes in 5,750 polling stations for 125 seats for Azerbaijan’s national assembly locally known as 'Milly Majlis'.

CCTV cameras were set up at over 1,000 polling stations to ensure transparency in the general elections.

Central Election Commissioner Mazahir Panahov told the Pakistani observers and reporters that around 5.3 million people voted in the general elections across the country.

He told that the 5,570 polling stations were established across the country where polling continued for eleven hours from 8am till 7 in the evening.

As many as 246 candidates of 19 political parties contested the elections in which 122 candidates were from the ruling party, he added.

Sunday's ballot was monitored by international observers from 58 countries including Pakistan.

Aliyev, who has been in power for 17 years, called the election in December, nine months before it was formally due.

Officials from his NAP party said the move was “to support the president’s policy on reforms and personnel changes”.