Azeri ruling party claims victory in parliamentary election

BAKU (Reuters) - Azeri President Ilham Aliyev's ruling Yeni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan) claimed victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday that mainstream opposition and international monitors were shunning. "According to our estimations, Yeni Azerbaijan candidates have been elected ... Exit poll results make us think that Yeni Azerbaijan will have a majority in a new parliament again," the party's executive secretary, Ali Akhmedov, told reporters. The party had 71 out of 125 seats in the previous parliament, which is elected every five years. "I think that we'll get not less than 70 seats in a new parliament," Akhmedov said. (Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Margarita Antidze in Tblisi; Editing by Alison Williams)