By Ruslan Rahmiov
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) – Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) won parliamentary elections held Sunday according to initial results, winning the most seats.
Central Election Commission Chairman Mezahir Panahov announced the names of the candidates who received the most votes at a press conference.
According to the initial results, YAP, led by President Ilham Aliyev, won 68 seats in the National Assembly.
A total of 44 independent candidates were elected as members of parliament, while the Civic Solidarity Party won three seats, the Justice, Law and Democracy Party won two seats and the Great Azerbaijan Party, Democratic Reforms Party, Great Creation Party, Republican Alternative Party, Motherland Party, Azerbaijan National Independence Party, National Front Party, and Azerbaijan Democratic Enlightenment Party each won one seat.
In a country with approximately 6,421,000 registered voters, the voter turnout was 37.27%.
Azerbaijanis went to the polls for the seventh time to elect members of the National Assembly. Some 990 candidates competed for 125 seats.
*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul