Azerbaijan Vote Stokes Opposition

Azerbaijanis voted Saturday in a referendum on constitutional reforms that the government says are needed to improve ties with the West but that the opposition warns will be a blow to democracy in the former Soviet republic.

A preliminary count indicated that more than 88% of Azerbaijan’s 4.4 million voters cast ballots, according to election officials. No results were released.

Opposition groups boycotted the vote, saying the proposed changes appear designed to enable President Heydar A. Aliyev, 79, to transfer power to his son Ilhan, an ex-playboy who is first vice president of the state oil company.

Aliyev, a former Communist Party boss who has ruled Azerbaijan with an iron fist for much of the last decade, says the changes are needed to bring the country’s constitution in line with the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms as it pursues closer ties with the West.

Election officials said they received no reports of irregularities from accredited observers, but the opposition reported widespread tampering.

“There’s no point voting. Everything has been decided without us taking part,” said Eldar Gulieyev, 46, a member of one of Azerbaijan’s many opposition parties.

The proposed reforms include allowing the president to be elected by a simple majority, rather than a two-thirds vote, and eliminating the “party list” system, in which voters cast ballots for parties in addition to individual candidates. Opposition leaders want to keep the list system, saying it is crucial for developing political parties.

Another proposed change would make the prime minister--a presidential appointee--the No. 2 official. Currently the parliament speaker, chosen by legislators, is second in line to the presidency.