Relations between the West and Azerbaijan have been increasingly strained this year over Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s crackdown on the media and opposition activists. The West has accused him of holding human rights in scant regard; Mr Aliyev has responded by accusing the West of trying to plot a coup.

And in the build up to the election, the row continued to be played out in public.

Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, said civil rights in Azerbaijan were operating under a dark cloud.

“Human rights activists, journalists and national electoral observers have been muzzled using repressive legislation, jailed on trumped-up charges or forced to escape into exile,” he wrote in an opinion article for politico.eu. “Under these circumstances, it is impossible to hold any meaningful debate about the election or to ensure its accountability.”

ODHIR, the organisation that runs Europe’s main vote monitoring operation withdrew its team from Azerbaijan’s election because it said that the Azerbaijani authorities had only agreed to allow it to send half the monitors it needed.

European vote monitors have never judged an election in Azerbaijan to be free and fair and the 125- member parliament is generally viewed as a rubber-stamping operation for President Aliyev.

In 2010, Mr Aliyev’s Yeni Azerbaijan party won 72 seats. Independent MPs, who mainly supported Yeni Azerbaijan won 48 seats, giving Mr Aliyev a massive majority.

More of the same is expected on Sunday.