Azerbaijan's leading opposition parties said Thursday they did not recognize the results of a presidential election won by incumbent Ilham Aliyev and vowed to unite to oppose his rule.
Major opposition groups had boycotted Wednesday's vote, having accused Azerbaijani authorities of persecuting the opposition, muzzling the media and fixing previous polls.
"We do not accept these elections or this government as legitimate," Ali Keremli, the leader of the Popular Front party, told journalists in Baku.
"We, the real democratic forces of Azerbaijan, must unite and act together. We will discuss a plan of action," he said.
Aliyev swept to victory in the election, maintaining his grip on power in the oil-rich former Soviet republic.
With 70% of votes counted early Thursday, Aliyev had a huge lead with 89% of the vote, elections commission chief Mazahir Panakhov told journalists.
Six other candidates - all loyal to the authorities - lagged far behind, with candidate Iqbal Agazade a far distant second with 2.78% of the vote, Panakhov said. Voter turnout was 75.14%, he said.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was due to issue a verdict on the vote's conduct later Thursday. Almost 400 OSCE observers monitored the campaign, election day and the vote count.