The son of ailing Azerbaijan President Geidar Aliev won elections to succeed his father, according to preliminary results Thursday. But opposition leaders and observers charged there were widespread vote violations.

Violence flared during Wednesday's vote with police clashing with protesters twice during an hours-long standoff in central Baku.

With nearly two-thirds of Azerbaijan's 5,111 districts reporting, Aliev's son, Ilham Aliev, had about 80 percent of the votes, according to preliminary results posted by the Central Election Commission. His closest rival Isa Gambar had about 11 percent, it said.

If the trend continues, Aliev's victory margin should easily be more than the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff.

Aliev led a field of eight candidates, standing alone for the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party after his father — hospitalized in the United States — pulled out of the race less than two weeks ago. More than 71 percent of the former Soviet republic's 4.4 million electorate voted, election commission chairman Mazahir Panahov said.

As the vote was being counted Gambar, leader of the opposition party Musavat, or Equality, asserted that he won a majority and claimed violations in favor of Aliev, while many in Baku complained that they were prevented from registering and that others cast multiple votes.

A melee broke out after several hundred opposition supporters gathered outside Musavat headquarters after polls closed, chanting Gambar's name and applauding as he arrived. Police in riot gear surrounded the crowd and later closed off the street to prevent others from joining.

A group of demonstrators charged through the police line, prompting police to try to beat back the crowd back with truncheons. Protesters wielding sticks drove police back again, but police reinforcements with metal shields then pushed them back toward the party headquarters.

Yashar Aliyev, deputy chief of Baku's police, said 15 Musavat activists were detained. The commanding police officer at the scene, whose repeated orders to the crowd to disband were ignored, said there were injuries on both sides, and some protesters and police were bloodied or bandaged.

Peter Eicher, the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's observer mission, urged the police commander to use restraint, saying the protesters were being peaceful. "We're trying to avoid bloodshed," he said. The officer said that "if they don't move we'll attack them."

Shortly afterward, police charged the protesters again, beating some with truncheons, tossing bricks, and dragging away at least half a dozen, going around a line of OSCE observers trying to prevent violence.

A police official said 10 people were detained in the second clash and that a total of 20 police suffered moderate to serious injuries in the unrest.

The vote was watched as an indication of Azerbaijan's commitment to open democracy, but even before election day, international organizations reported widespread violations, including biased media coverage, violence at opposition protests ignited by police or pro-government provocateurs, and intimidation of opposition sympathizers.

An OSCE observer, Ivan Lozowy, said he had stopped recording reported violations because he had seen so many himself at the 35 polling places he visited Wednesday. He said violations included multiple voting, falsified ballots, and ballot counting in absence of observers.

Inside his party headquarters, Gambar waved a stack of ballots marked for Aliev that he claimed had been filled out before the election, and asserted he soundly beat the president's son in districts where international observers were able to watch the entire process.

"This is the beginning," protester Majif Mammedalizade, 37, said of the demonstration. When voters wake up Thursday and "everyone knows the vote is false, Ilham Aliev has no chance," he said.

Ilham Aliev has threatened decisive action against anyone who resorts to violence over the election results.

Geidar Aliev, 80, has not been seen in public since he was hospitalized in Turkey on July 8, and is now being treated in the United States. A longtime leader of Azerbaijan's Soviet-era Communist Party, he returned to power in 1993 following a military coup.

He is regarded by many as a figure of stability and was widely expected to win before he withdrew.

Ilham Aliev, 41, hoped to inherit the allegiance of his father's supporters and has pledged to continue his policies.

Turab Ahmadov, 19, said he voted for Aliev. "I believe that under him the economy will develop well, I'm sure of it," he said.

Close

Today's Top News		Top International News
+Astronaut returns safely, manned space mission 'complete success' ( 2003-10-15) +Beijing to be more open for SARS information ( 2003-10-16) +Foreign trade becoming balanced ( 2003-10-16) +Foreign investment slows, but prospects bright ( 2003-10-16) +Ten killed in New York ferry crash ( 2003-10-16)		+Azerbaijan President's son wins election ( 2003-10-16) +Palestinians dread America's wrath after bombing ( 2003-10-16) +Russia announces delay on UN vote ( 2003-10-16) +Ten killed in New York ferry crash ( 2003-10-16) +Schroeder urges German unions to back reforms ( 2003-10-16)