YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, ARMENPRESS: During his presidency, allegations of high-level corruption, the subversion of democracy and the stifling of dissent have been rife, with reports of politically motivated arrests shooting up drastically in the last two years. As Armenpress reports, BBC presents the Azerbaijani elections held today in this way. “Human rights organizations put the number of political prisoners between the tens and the hundreds,” BBC writes.

Seven of them are leading members of the youth movement Nida, who were detained in April while protesting against corruption and face charges of causing mass unrest and possessing illegal firearms.They are known for their frequent posts on Facebook and Twitter about alleged government corruption and human rights abuses.

Reuters goes on in the same tone, noting that Aliyev, 51, has faced criticism at home and abroad over the government's treatment of dissenters in the nation of 9 million people, where protests are quickly quashed. “Aliyev, who could conceivably rule for life after backing a referendum that abolished term limits in 2009, hopes to increase Azerbaijan's regional clout in a new five-year term. His biggest challenge, however, may be the dissent that has grown over what critics call endemic corruption, a gaping divide between rich and poor and alleged abuses in a nation where one rights group said a pre-election crackdown had doubled the number of political prisoners”.

The agency quotes the united candidate for opposition Jamil Hasanly who said that, following a skewed pre-election campaign, he believed the poll would be rigged in favor of Aliyev.

"What we see is just an absence of a political and democratic climate for a free and fair election," Hasanly told a news conference on the last day of campaigning.

“Mass fraud has been registered during the elections. The opposition already denounces the results,” AFP sums up the whole story.