Azerbaijanis went to the polls on Sunday to vote in a general election seen to consolidate the power of President Ilham Aliyev.
Aliyev's Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) is expected to win the majority of seats in the 125-member legislature.
"The doors of the polling stations have been opened. The elections began exactly at 8 hours in the morning and will last until 19:00 hours. I am inviting all voters to show up at the polls," Mazair Panakhov, chairman of the ex-Soviet republic's central election commission, said.
Under the Azerbaijani constitution, general elections to the 125-seat parliament are held every five years based on the first-past-the-post system. The elections are declared valid with any voter turnout.
BAKU, November 7 (RIA Novosti)
