Azerbaijan ruling party wins polls but observers question results Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev's ruling party celebrates a huge win in snap parliamentary polls but international observers and the opposition denounce sweeping violations ranging from fraud to intimidation. Faced with public discontent over a slowing economy, Aliyev, 58, hoped to boost the government's image by holding early elections and replacing discredited old elites with younger technocrats. His ruling party won a majority in Sunday's election but the opposition claims it was "totally falsified" and several parties boycotted the vote altogether. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES