Campaigning is drawing to a close in Azerbaijan as the country prepares for parliamentary elections on Sunday. Nearly 2,000 candidates are running for 125 seats in the first vote since Ilham Aliyev replaced his father, Heydar Aliyev, as president in 2003. That election was widely criticised for voting irregularities and violence. There has been little sign of campaigning in the capital Baku, but the run-up to this vote has been full of tension and controversy. On Friday, the last day of campaigning, only one party has been allowed to mark it publicly. The ruling New Azerbaijan Party is preparing for a rally in support of the government of President Ilham Aliyev. The opposition Freedom bloc say they were refused permission to hold a similar event in the same square. President Aliyev promises that Sunday\'s election will be free and fair. The government, he says, has invited hundreds of international observers and introduced plenty of measures, including inking of voters\' fingers, to prevent fraud. But these changes are overshadowed by reports of irregularities and violence throughout the campaign. International observers have condemned the widespread voter intimidation and what they called excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators. Over the past two weeks dozens of government officials, including high-ranking ministers, have been arrested on charges of plotting a coup and covertly supporting the opposition. And more than 500 candidates to the country\'s 125-seat parliament have pulled out of the race. Many say they were forced to quit. (BBC)