Azerbaijan heads to polls for early parliamentary elections

Azerbaijanis are heading to the polls on Sunday in an early parliamentary election that will determine the composition of the country's 125-seat National Assembly.

More than 6.4 million registered voters began casting their ballots at 8:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT). The polls will remain open until 7:00 p.m. (1500 GMT). A total of 990 candidates are vying for seats in the National Assembly.

This election is particularly significant as it marks the first time in 30 years that parliamentary elections are being held across all of Azerbaijan's territory, including regions recently liberated from Armenian occupation.

The early election follows President Ilham Aliyev's decision on June 28 to dissolve the government and appoint Sept. 1 as the election date. The decision to reschedule the elections was made to avoid a scheduling conflict with the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will be held in Baku from Nov. 11-22.