Baku, Oct 21: Ilham Aliyev was confirmed as the new President of the oil-rich state of Azerbaijan today when election chiefs released the final results of last week`s presidential election. The results, agreed by the country`s Central Election Commission, gave Aliyev 76.84 per cent of the vote with his nearest rival, opposition leader Isa Gambar, trailing on 13.97 per cent.
"I congratulate you. Ilham Aliyev is the new President of Azerbaijan," chairman Mazahir Panakhov said at the close of the commission`s final session. The election was criticised by international observers as flawed while opposition supporters took to the streets claiming the vote had been fixed.
The final figures were slightly revised from those released last week. Earlier, election chiefs had said Aliyev had amassed just shy of 80 per cent of the vote. Ilham Aliyev is the 41-year-old son of outgoing President Heidar Aliyev. His election means that Azerbaijan has produced the former Soviet Union`s first political dynasty. Bureau Report