Exit polls : Azerbaijan’s president Aliyev wins third term

10102013

 Exit polls suggest that Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, has won a third five-year term by a landslide in Wednesday’s vote, AP reports. The survey, conducted by the independent Prognosis polling company, showed Aliyev taking nearly 84 percent of the vote. The study of 40,500 voters claimed a margin of error of less than 1 percentage point. The main opposition candidate, historian Jamil Hasanli, was trailing behind with about 8 percent, followed by eight other contenders. The opposition has already called the current election “the dirtiest ever,” speaking of numerous violations and fraud. Aliyev has ruled the oil-rich ex-Soviet nation since 2003, succeeding his father, Heydar Aliyev.