Parliamentary elections held in Azerbaijan

A parliamentary election is being held in Azerbaijan on Sunday after the legislature was dissolved by a presidential decree.

The National Assembly of Azerbaijan, or Milli Majlis, is holding snap polls for the first time in the country's history.

With the initiative of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), a proposal to dissolve the parliament was discussed last on Dec 2 and passed in the assembly.

State officials had earlier announced the snap polls would help modernize the country's legislative branch and speed up economic reforms.

According to Chairman of Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan MazahirPanahov, over 1,300 registered candidates from about 20 political parties are competing in the run-up to 125 parliamentary seats.