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President Ilham Aliyev casts his ballot at a polling station in Baku.
President Ilham Aliyev casts his ballot at a polling station in Baku.

Liveblog: Azerbaijan Votes For President

Voters went to the polls in Azerbaijan today. President Ilham Aliyev, who has kept a tight grip on power, is expected to easily win a third term.

15:16 9.10.2013
An update on "Appgate," the Central Election Commission (CEC) app that appeared to report election results before the vote had begun.

In a statement, the CEC says it ordered the program from Happy Baku LTD.

“We later found out that after the work on the program ended, in order to provide its accurate, quality, and purposeful use, the company conducted interim tests for a certain period on October 8, 2013, in one election district (Hajigabul-Kurdamir district 58), but users were not informed that the program was being tested. As approved by the company, the program module used names of real candidates in the October 9 elections."
The CEC says it "deeply regrets" the error.
14:56 9.10.2013
14:31 9.10.2013
Exit polls from several organizations have been released, showing Aliyev with around 84 percent of the vote. The opposition had previously dismissed the polling organizations that were permitted to conduct surveys during the vote for alleged ties to the government.
14:25 9.10.2013
Vladimir Churov, the controversial head of Russia's Central Election Commission, has said that no irregularities were observed.
14:16 9.10.2013
Pro-government bloggers are also making claims today -- of opposition "provocations."

14:13 9.10.2013
14:11 9.10.2013
Polls have closed.
13:57 9.10.2013
From Hasanli's Facebook page. An observer in Jalilabad, 220 kilometers from Baku, claims that voters are being given ballots with Aliyev's name already filled in.

13:48 9.10.2013
Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who hosts a talk show for RFE/RL, gives her perspective on the campaign, reports of fraud, and the impact of the united opposition candidate.

Flash Analysis: Azerbaijan's Presidential Election
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Ismayilova, who has been on the receiving end of an intimidation campaign linked to her investigative reporting, is providing live coverage of the elections on YouTube (in Azeri).
13:39 9.10.2013
Our Azerbaijani Service has been tracking carousel voters today. One woman, Gunay Mammadli, proudly tells our correspondent in Baku that she is a "yuzbashi," Azerbaijani for 100 heads. She is responsible for bringing 100 people to the polls.

"We rely on Ilham Aliyev and believe he'll be elected," she says. "As yuzbashi, we have made preparations for the vote, to bring voters."

The video below is in Azeri, but you can follow the action by observing the red arrow.

Video Appears To Show Carousel Voting (in Azeri)
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