Polls Close In Azerbaijani Vote On Lifting Pres Term Limit

Polls Close In Azerbaijani Vote On Lifting Pres Term Limit
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Τετ, 18 Μαρτίου 2009 - 19:08
Polls closed Wednesday in Azerbaijan's referendum on lifting a two-term limit on holding the presidency, a move likely to reinforce President Ilham Aliyev's grip on power.
Polls closed Wednesday in Azerbaijan's referendum on lifting a two-term limit on holding the presidency, a move likely to reinforce President Ilham Aliyev's grip on power.

Polls closed at 7:00 pm local time (1500 GMT) after 11 hours of voting. The Central Election Commission said that by 5:00 pm voter turnout had reached 64.1%.

Opposition groups had called for a boycott of the referendum, alleging the vote was a farce, but analysts said there was little doubt the proposed constitutional amendments would be approved.

Aliyev, 47, won a second five-year term by a landslide last October, cementing nearly four decades of his family's rule over the oil-rich republic.

The election commission was to begin releasing results shortly after polls closed.

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