Previous elections since independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s have not been regarded as fully free or fair.
ADVERTISEMENTIn a closely watched snap election on Sunday, the country's ruling New Azerbaijan Party claimed a narrow victory.
According to exit polls, President Ilham Aliyev's party secured 68 out of 125 of the Milli Majlis, Azerbaijan's parliament, slightly down from its previous count of 69. The rest of the seats went to small pro-government parties or independents.
Some 990 candidates were competing for 125 seats in parliament.
The vote was the first since the country in the South Caucasus launched a lightning offensive last year to regain complete control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a former breakaway territory.
Previous elections since independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s have not been regarded as entirely free or fair, and the vote for the Milli Mejlis is not expected to bring significant changes to the body dominated by Aliyev's party.
Aliyev’s father, Haidar, ruled Azerbaijan from 1993 until he died in 2003, then Ilham took over. Both have ruled with a heavy hand, suppressing dissent as the country of almost 10 million people on the shores of the Caspian Sea accrued wealth from its vast oil and natural gas reserves.
According to Azerbaijan's constitution, the election should have been held this November. Still, Aliyev moved the date forward by two months to avoid clashing with the COP29 UN climate talks, which will take place in the capital, Baku.
Some 50 organisations were assigned as independent observers, Azerbaijan's National Election Commission said. The OSCE, as the largest observer organisation, is scheduled to present its preliminary assessment later on Monday.
For the first time in three decades, voting also took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, symbolising Azerbaijan's renewed control over the region.