BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Azerbaijan's opposition, emboldened by international criticism of the parliamentary vote and the government decision on Tuesday to annul the count in two districts, prepared for daily protest rallies that it hopes will give it irreversible momentum.
The first demonstration, set for Wednesday, has been permitted by authorities but officials were unlikely to approve daily gatherings, and police in the past have broken up unsanctioned gatherings swiftly and brutally.
"We will achieve the annulment of the elections. The question is how soon," said Fuad Mustafayev, deputy chairman of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan. He said "daily actions" were planned.
The opposition lacks some of the key strengths that bolstered protests in other ex-Soviet states _ it is not as organized as Ukraine's Orange Revolution throngs, nor does it appear to enjoy the wide popular allegiance of Georgians for their Rose Revolution.
Rasim Musabekov, a political analyst who ran as an independent in Sunday's vote and lost, said Azerbaijan's opposition could not be compared with those that came to power in other former Soviet republics.
"The difference is that (in others) it was a struggle between the reformist, modernizing wing of the ruling elite and the conservative wing," Musabekov said. "Here it is between the authorities and political forces that have been forced to the periphery and have very few resources."
The opposition hopes to bring out 50,000 demonstrators Wednesday, said one of its leaders, Ali Kerimli, chairman of the Popular Front. Musabekov predicted no more than 20,000 would take part.
There was a large police presence around strategic sites in the capital. The Interior Ministry said it was intent on preventing any provocations, including against opposition parties.
The government of President Ilham Aliev _ like that of his late father Geidar Aliev before him _ has banned demonstrations, jailing opposition activists and directing state-run television to smear the movement's leaders. He has accused one opposition leader in exile, Rasul Guliyev, of masterminding a coup attempt last month.
The opposition did chalk up some victories on Tuesday. The Central Election Commission annulled the results of Sunday's vote in two electoral districts and ordered a recount in a third. The races earlier had been declared won by pro-government candidates.
Meanwhile, the ruling New Azerbaijan Party on Tuesday claimed victory, winning 63 of the 125 seats in the legislature, according to preliminary official results.
Aliev's spokesman, Azer Gasimov, accused the opposition of exaggerating the foreign observers' criticism. He emphasized that the observer mission led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe had pointed to Azerbaijan's failure to meet some _ not all _ international election standards.
"The Azerbaijani opposition isn't capable of admitting its own defeat," he said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said the vote had irregularities but was still legitimate. In a further sign of Kremlin backing for Aliev, President Vladimir Putin telephoned Aliev to congratulate him on the successful conduct on the election, Russian news agencies reported.
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Associated Press writer Aida Sultanova in Baku contributed to this report.
