Since the election

On the one hand, the election produced a disappointing outcome for our society. The vote was light (this time, officially recognized); numerous violations were declared at most electoral districts, and many fringe figures were literally hounded from podiums. It is undisputable that in Azerbaijan the state is the authority, and it makes no secret that most people say «state» but mean «authorities»).

Only by a long stretch of imagination can you call a civil society in Azerbaijan: there are no appropriate institutions, perception of their necessity. An overwhelming majority of citizens are confident that the power can be fair or unfair but it cannot be executive (whose calling should it answer?). For this reason, you should delude yourself: there is practically a civic awareness, just consciousness of subjects (true, they are pragmatically reasoning rather than loyal subjects).

This notwithstanding, I’m not minded to evaluate the election as all-round failure which is to catch up all levels of our society.

First, it is essential to scrutinize processes not by ultimate outcome but by process itself: it is evaluation of the process proper that can predict (supposedly though) future results in a society with its back and forth movements.

Second, to tell the truth, our forward motion could not be principally different, one cannot agree scarcely ever that like power like population (another variant: «people deserve what they have») but in our case, one can agree on the whole.

Allowing for numerous factors, figuratively «mental, we must admit that «big bucks» (enormous money as compared to the Soviet past) were meant to push forward individuals guided by the principle that the loyalty is business.

As a rule, these individuals are entrepreneurial and go-ahead, sometimes clever, with insufficient sense of human worth (money and status is above dignity) which can be neglected (according to them, «the ends justify the means»), and these individuals consider themselves to «outstanding» (figuratively speaking, «meritocrats»).

Wellness at official level predetermines individuals we consider to be famous, suffice it to look at our memorial boards with names of generals, «heroes», «academicians», «people’s artists», etc. (our «national hero» once-for-all-time). At any rate, «big bucks» go with numerous army of those engaged in the election; those impatiently seeking to earn money (do cast stones at these persons: they make next to nothing, this is not for them – they are too oppressed and humiliated. Regretfully, teachers of secondary schools are involved in these unworthy acts).

Third, most important of all that urged me to write the paper. The authorities provide limited opportunities for citizens, and it turned out that society or, at least, a part of it is still alive, entrepreneurial with high, yet-unrealized potential.

The most important thing is that a part of citizens is figured on success under the sole condition: there is a red line they cannot transcend the limits of self-dignity. Individuals of this sort are found among nominees for deputies, and the great thing was that normal nominees were backed by tens of absolutely uninterested volunteers who spent nearly 24 hours at voting stations and shocked representatives of the authority with their moral stand and legal background. Even worse, they had to oppose official «observers» (As far as I know these were former sportsmen among them, government’s 5th column). In so doing, the authorities sought not to affect election falsification.

I repeat that among newly-elected deputies there are numerous long-known hate figures; however, I have scant information about those freshly elected. This notwithstanding, I’m aware of one, really independent deputy. Suffice it to recall his first press-conference, and I was agreeably surprised (true, I have the pleasure of knowing him personally of old) not merely at his veracity but the fact that nothing in his statement revealed «loyalty-based business» (our major independence criterion). He did not conceal that there was not faked voting: the authorities did not block his candidacy; he had been cleanly elected, so he will be able to perform his basic function – to mediate between the power and electors.

I do not admit that I’m prophet; I don’t know what will happen tomorrow in our country tomorrow or the day after tomorrow but intelligent people (first of all, physicists) say that if oscillations begin (probably) in the system they are are synchronized (probably), so if there is a point of turn (probably) you can’t figure on which way the system will develop.

Until then one may talk of the fact that in large measure, unexpectedly the elections put forward many a man (not in percentage terms) have the virtue of pulling their weight honestly and observing common decencies.

It is not worth exaggerating significance of the freshly elected; and equally, it is not worth diminishing their importance.