Azerbaijan's ruling party took an early lead in Sunday's parliamentary elections in this oil-rich, strategically located former Soviet republic that has been led by the same family for years, but the opposition charged widespread fraud. The ballot was closely watched for signs of improvement on flawed past elections that sparked violence and instability in a Caspian Sea nation that lies in the restive region between Russia and Iran. It was considered an uneven contest, however, given President Ilham Aliev's authoritarian rule and a pre-election police crackdown that further weakened a feeble opposition.With votes counted from 62 percent of precincts, 65 candidates from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party were in the lead, followed by 38 independents _ who could include ruling party loyalists _ and seven opposition candidates, according to the Central Elections Commission. The U.S. government, which has a strong interest in Azerbaijan because of its key location and its role as an alternative to Middle East oil, sponsored an exit poll as a check on the official count. Its figures were expected to be released, candidate by candidate, throughout the night. A separate exit poll conducted by the Mitofsky, Edison Media and CESSI organizations showed candidates of the ruling party winning 30 of the 125 seats. Other results were incomplete. It was not clear who sponsored the poll, although opposition figures claimed it was being conducted under government auspices.