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FAIRNESS AN ISSUE, EVEN AFTER AZERBAIJAN VOTES
The New York Times
October 10, 2013 Thursday
Late Edition - Final
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN; Shahla Sultanova contributed reporting.
BAKU, Azerbaijan -- The slogan of Jamil Hasanli's long-shot campaign
to unseat Azerbaijan's longtime president, Ilham Aliyev, in elections
on Wednesday was "Enough!" Or, more specifically, as the red and
white stickers plastered all over his headquarters and around this
capital city made clear: enough corruption, enough monarchy, enough
unemployment, enough stolen oil money, enough low-quality education
and health services, enough disrespectful officials, and enough war
over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Yet, with early results showing Mr. Hasanli headed to a resounding
defeat -- a loss that appeared preordained from the moment a referendum
was adopted in 2009 clearing the way for Mr. Aliyev to seek a third
five-year term -- the more relevant issue was fairness, which seemed
to be lacking in the election.
In an interview, Mr. Hasanli said his bid was hampered by a
rushed campaign calendar, a lack of money and exposure in the
state-controlled news media, and the indifference of the rest of the
world. International observers indicated they would largely affirm
his complaints in a report to be issued Thursday.
"In this election, the biggest shortage we had was time," said Mr.
Hasanli, a historian and history professor. Changes in election
rules compressed the campaign to just three weeks. But Azerbaijan, an
important American ally perched strategically between Russia and Iran,
has 85 regions, most of which can be visited only by long car rides.
"Within 21 days, it's physically impossible to cover all these
regions," Mr. Hasanli said.
His most formidable obstacle, however, was Mr. Aliyev, who inherited
the presidency 10 years ago from his father, Heydar Aliyev. Huge
pictures of the elder Aliyev can still be found throughout Baku, and
each year the younger Mr. Aliyev oversees an elaborate celebration
of his father's birthday on May 10.
"It's a coronation," Mr. Hasanli said, with a hint of exasperation.
Supporters of Mr. Aliyev say he has presided over the steady
political development of the country after years of Soviet domination,
cultivating in one of the world's few predominantly Muslim nations
a secular political tradition and relatively liberal social views.
They also say he has used the country's oil wealth to raise living
standards, including a glittering revival of Baku, which is now dotted
with luxury homes built from elegant stone, skyscrapers and an array
of new cultural sites.
"I voted for my president," said a 65-year-old retired doctor leaving
a polling station in a Russian-speaking section of downtown Baku. Like
many Azerbaijanis, she did not want to give her name when discussing
politics, even though she backed Mr. Aliyev. "He is young, energetic;
he speaks Russian and English. Those parameters fit my requirements. I
do not know other candidates and did not even try to know about them."
"Look at this city," she added. "It is beautiful because of him and
his wife."
Critics, however, say Mr. Aliyev is a heavy-handed autocrat in a
country that has a poor record on human rights. In February, two
political opposition leaders were arrested on charges of inciting
riots in the city of Ismayilli, northwest of Baku. Lawyers for the
men said the arrests were politically motivated and that their clients
were merely visiting the city when protests broke out.
Outside the same polling station in downtown Baku, a 69-year-old
retired lawyer said that the fear of political reprisal by the Aliyev
government was genuine. "I voted for Jamil Hasanli because his
campaign established some trust," he said. "Ilham Aliyev is fine,
but he does not care to gather smart people around him. He ignores
corrupted officials."
After securing the referendum in 2009 that lifted term limits, Mr.
Aliyev portrayed his re-election as a foregone conclusion. He did
virtually no campaigning and did not participate in debates, sending
representatives in his place. In the debates, the 10 candidates each
received six minutes, even as Mr. Aliyev dominated the state-controlled
news media.
Many voters said they viewed Mr. Aliyev as the only choice. In
a poverty-stricken neighborhood in the Yasamal district of Baku,
several people displaced from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at war over for more than 20 years,
said they supported Mr. Aliyev.
"Even if Ilham Aliyev's presidency did not affect the welfare of my
family, it did help the nation," said Vusala Ahmedova, 33, who lives
in a room with her husband and three children. "I would like him to
get our lands back so that we can move to our land that I left when
I was 11."
With more than 74 percent of precincts counted, the Central Election
Commission said Mr. Aliyev had received nearly 85 percent of the vote,
and Mr. Hasanli 5.2 percent. Shortly afterward, Mr. Aliyev thanked
voters for their trust in a recorded statement on state television.
"I would like to assure the Azeri people that, in the future as well,
I will serve them worthily and will always protect the state interests
of Azerbaijan," he said. Mr. Aliyev also praised the election as "free
and transparent," calling it "another serious step toward democracy."
Even before results were announced, a victory celebration erupted
outside the headquarters of Mr. Aliyev's New Azerbaijan Party. Streets
were closed as jubilant supporters danced and waved flags.
Nonetheless, the Hasanli campaign issued a statement accusing the
government of widespread election fraud, including accusations of
ballot-box stuffing and interfering with election monitors.
Initial reports from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the
European Parliament suggested that they would declare the election
as failing to meet international standards. The groups scheduled a
news conference for Thursday.
This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared
in print.
URL:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/10/world/asia/fairness-an-issue-even-after-azerbaijan-votes.html
From: Baghdasarian
The New York Times
October 10, 2013 Thursday
Late Edition - Final
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN; Shahla Sultanova contributed reporting.
BAKU, Azerbaijan -- The slogan of Jamil Hasanli's long-shot campaign
to unseat Azerbaijan's longtime president, Ilham Aliyev, in elections
on Wednesday was "Enough!" Or, more specifically, as the red and
white stickers plastered all over his headquarters and around this
capital city made clear: enough corruption, enough monarchy, enough
unemployment, enough stolen oil money, enough low-quality education
and health services, enough disrespectful officials, and enough war
over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Yet, with early results showing Mr. Hasanli headed to a resounding
defeat -- a loss that appeared preordained from the moment a referendum
was adopted in 2009 clearing the way for Mr. Aliyev to seek a third
five-year term -- the more relevant issue was fairness, which seemed
to be lacking in the election.
In an interview, Mr. Hasanli said his bid was hampered by a
rushed campaign calendar, a lack of money and exposure in the
state-controlled news media, and the indifference of the rest of the
world. International observers indicated they would largely affirm
his complaints in a report to be issued Thursday.
"In this election, the biggest shortage we had was time," said Mr.
Hasanli, a historian and history professor. Changes in election
rules compressed the campaign to just three weeks. But Azerbaijan, an
important American ally perched strategically between Russia and Iran,
has 85 regions, most of which can be visited only by long car rides.
"Within 21 days, it's physically impossible to cover all these
regions," Mr. Hasanli said.
His most formidable obstacle, however, was Mr. Aliyev, who inherited
the presidency 10 years ago from his father, Heydar Aliyev. Huge
pictures of the elder Aliyev can still be found throughout Baku, and
each year the younger Mr. Aliyev oversees an elaborate celebration
of his father's birthday on May 10.
"It's a coronation," Mr. Hasanli said, with a hint of exasperation.
Supporters of Mr. Aliyev say he has presided over the steady
political development of the country after years of Soviet domination,
cultivating in one of the world's few predominantly Muslim nations
a secular political tradition and relatively liberal social views.
They also say he has used the country's oil wealth to raise living
standards, including a glittering revival of Baku, which is now dotted
with luxury homes built from elegant stone, skyscrapers and an array
of new cultural sites.
"I voted for my president," said a 65-year-old retired doctor leaving
a polling station in a Russian-speaking section of downtown Baku. Like
many Azerbaijanis, she did not want to give her name when discussing
politics, even though she backed Mr. Aliyev. "He is young, energetic;
he speaks Russian and English. Those parameters fit my requirements. I
do not know other candidates and did not even try to know about them."
"Look at this city," she added. "It is beautiful because of him and
his wife."
Critics, however, say Mr. Aliyev is a heavy-handed autocrat in a
country that has a poor record on human rights. In February, two
political opposition leaders were arrested on charges of inciting
riots in the city of Ismayilli, northwest of Baku. Lawyers for the
men said the arrests were politically motivated and that their clients
were merely visiting the city when protests broke out.
Outside the same polling station in downtown Baku, a 69-year-old
retired lawyer said that the fear of political reprisal by the Aliyev
government was genuine. "I voted for Jamil Hasanli because his
campaign established some trust," he said. "Ilham Aliyev is fine,
but he does not care to gather smart people around him. He ignores
corrupted officials."
After securing the referendum in 2009 that lifted term limits, Mr.
Aliyev portrayed his re-election as a foregone conclusion. He did
virtually no campaigning and did not participate in debates, sending
representatives in his place. In the debates, the 10 candidates each
received six minutes, even as Mr. Aliyev dominated the state-controlled
news media.
Many voters said they viewed Mr. Aliyev as the only choice. In
a poverty-stricken neighborhood in the Yasamal district of Baku,
several people displaced from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at war over for more than 20 years,
said they supported Mr. Aliyev.
"Even if Ilham Aliyev's presidency did not affect the welfare of my
family, it did help the nation," said Vusala Ahmedova, 33, who lives
in a room with her husband and three children. "I would like him to
get our lands back so that we can move to our land that I left when
I was 11."
With more than 74 percent of precincts counted, the Central Election
Commission said Mr. Aliyev had received nearly 85 percent of the vote,
and Mr. Hasanli 5.2 percent. Shortly afterward, Mr. Aliyev thanked
voters for their trust in a recorded statement on state television.
"I would like to assure the Azeri people that, in the future as well,
I will serve them worthily and will always protect the state interests
of Azerbaijan," he said. Mr. Aliyev also praised the election as "free
and transparent," calling it "another serious step toward democracy."
Even before results were announced, a victory celebration erupted
outside the headquarters of Mr. Aliyev's New Azerbaijan Party. Streets
were closed as jubilant supporters danced and waved flags.
Nonetheless, the Hasanli campaign issued a statement accusing the
government of widespread election fraud, including accusations of
ballot-box stuffing and interfering with election monitors.
Initial reports from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the
European Parliament suggested that they would declare the election
as failing to meet international standards. The groups scheduled a
news conference for Thursday.
This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared
in print.
URL:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/10/world/asia/fairness-an-issue-even-after-azerbaijan-votes.html
From: Baghdasarian