A leader has been defined at the presidential election in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Preliminary results suggest the former security chief Bako Saakyan is ahead in the polls.
Earlier, election officials declared the vote is valid, with over 75 % of eligible voters taking part. Meanwhile, while the Azerbaijan government condemned the election. Azeri and Armenian forces fought for the area in the 1990s, with Armenians gaining control following a 1994 ceasefire. This is the fourth presidential election in the impoverished territory inside Azerbaijan. The republic is not recognised by any country in the world. Both France and the United States – which, along with Russia are helping mediation efforts to resolve the region's status – say the elections will not be acknowledged by the international community.