Precinct no. 16- where all the magic was happening

If there is any version of democracy in Azerbaijan then it comes in a form of stuffed ballot box. Because there was certainly a lot of it going on during the Election Day and the vote count. 

The precinct where I had the chance to observe- Yasamal second precinct no. 16- had two polling stations- number nine and number ten. Each had 6 members representing election commission- one deputy, two secretaries and three members. Most of the observers present at the precinct were the ruling party members with the rest being the teachers from the gymnasium where the polling stations were. There were four independent observers including me. I was the only one with a camera and journalist credentials. The magic was in the air all day long. It felt magical to be part of such skilled group of magicians. 

My presence was disturbing to the process and its implementers. It was clear from the looks and the constant attempt to have me occupied talking to other members of the election commission or the observers. As an observer one is allowed to walk around and watch the process, take photographs if need be. Walking however was strongly disapproved at these two polling stations. I was repeatedly asked to present my journalism credentials. The dislike was also clear from questions about my affiliation. At one point, local observers from polling station number 10 asked me repeatedly who I represented. Saying I was independent didn't help. Suspicious and dreadful looks continued.  

Not all of them were this evil. They still rigged and falsified elections, but they did it smiling, and talking to me, pretending I was naive enough not to see what they were doing. Some complemented me on my looks, others on how sweet I was. In reality, they all were looking forward to me being gone. I appreciated in fact the honesty of one of the members from the election commission who said "I don't like young girls who preach like this one". 

After that I left. I knew there was no point of me staying there- even if they left everything as it was when I was leaving the building, the job was done, the results were already determined...

I wish I was a superhero

Or at least had the powers of one. As I stood there at the local precinct where I voted myself there were many moments where I wished I had some of these powers. Stuffed ballot boxes (and so many of them); carousel voting (so much of this too); and those faces of local so- called "observers". But I don't have the super powers. Nor did I manage to change anything. I just argued with CEC representatives, made them recount votes and made sure the protocols were signed properly. At least for the time I was at the precinct. Maybe they changed everything after I left. 

I saw this woman twice for instance today at the same polling station. 

And so after a long day I am sitting home, reading articles and tweets and comments and can't help myself but wonder- what will happen to my country? Aliyev in his third term (which he added himself by changing the constitution) will put more people behind bars, choke whoever left of advocates and defenders and steel more. 

Surely there wasn't much to expect from these elections- its results were rigged from the very beginning. Everyone knew about this and all that was left was for independent observers and journalists to do what they do best- advocate for justice and truth. Did we succeed? Perhaps. There were a lot of videos, updates, and proof of violation. Will any of these help to change the results? Probably not. 

We are stuck for yet another term of a dictator whose cronies are rich and filthy and do anything it takes to keep the country and its people at its knees. No one cares about the future of Azerbaijan as much as a handful of people who want to see a real change. But with these elections rigged, rights violated, there is even less of a chance to see that change. 

But we have to continue our fight for democracy and keep on believing. Margaret Mead once said "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have".

p.s.: Thank you all for following the election today, for all your support, retweets, hits, and comments!

Azerbaijan Elections- who, where, when? (recommended readings)

A friend posted these on Facebook, I thought I share them here too. If you want to get up to date about the election atmosphere in Azerbaijan then check these out. 

via Rebecca Vincent: Azerbaijan’s election day is here! Here’s my recommended reading list to get up to speed:

Meydan TV - Urgent: Presidential Election Rigged. Results Pre-announced in a mobile app failure http://www.meydan.tv/+pu8ha

Access - With no votes cast, Azerbaijani election app releases ‘final’ election results https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2013/10/08/with-no-votes-cast-azerbaijani-election-app-releases-final-election-results

Op-ed by opposition candidate Jamil Hasanli for The Guardian - Azerbaijan must use this election to end the Aliyev dynasty http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/08/azerbaijan-election-aliyev-dynasty-polls

Shaun Walker for The Guardian - Azerbaijan election marred by claims of corruption as dynasty looks set to win http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/07/azerbaijan-elections-ilham-aliyev-allegations

Leyla Najafli for BBC News: Azerbaijan election: the pre-determined president http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24450227?SThisFB

BBC News: Q&A: Azerbaijan's presidential election http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24402642

RFE/RL: Aliyev May Win Reelection For Third Term, But Fourth Not A Foregone Conclusion http://www.rferl.org/content/caucasus-report-azerbaijan-election-aliyev/25130805.html

Arifa Kazimova & Daisy Sindelar for RFE/RL - In Azerbaijan's Routine Election, It's The Differences That Matter http://www.rferl.org/content/azerbaijan-election-analysis--opposition-hasanl/25129384.html

Shahin Abbasov for EurasiaNet - Azerbaijan: Putting Inauguration Ahead of the Vote http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67599?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Miriam Lanskoy for the Carnegie Moscow Center – Azerbaijan: Opposition Unites Despite Crackdown http://carnegie.ru/eurasiaoutlook/?fa=53211

Katy Pearce & Farid Guliyev for The Washington Post - Can social media level the playing field in competitive authoritarian regimes? Azerbaijani pre-election report, part II http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2013/10/07/can-social-media-level-the-playing-field-in-competitive-authoritarian-regimes-azerbaijani-pre-election-report-part-ii/

Melinda Haring & Arzu Capulcu Geybullayeva for Foreign Policy – So What About the Other 364 Days a Year? http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/10/08/so_what_about_the_other_364_days_a_year

Thomas de Waal for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – What Lies Ahead for Azerbaijan? http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/10/07/what-lies-ahead-for-azerbaijan/gpd3

Reuters - Azeri leader cracking down on foes before poll-rights group http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/01/uk-azerbaijan-rights-idUKBRE9900IQ20131001

Human Rights Club - Azerbaijan: an updated list of political prisoners http://civicsolidarity.org/article/800/azerbaijan-updated-list-political-prisoners

OSCE/ODIHR Interim Report No. 2 http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/106275

Azerbaijan: UN experts concerned by human rights restrictions, harassment of journalists http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46193&Cr=azerbaijan&Cr1#.UlSNARa3KfQ

Amnesty International - Downward spiral: Continuing crackdown on freedoms in Azerbaijan http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR55/010/2013/en

Human Rights Watch – Tightening the Screws: Azerbaijan’s Crackdown on Civil Society and Dissent http://www.hrw.org/node/118310

And a few of my recent pieces:

Five things Aliyev doesn’t want you to know about Azerbaijan’s presidential election http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2013/10/five-things-aliyev-doesnt-want-know-azerbaijans-presidential-election/

PACE’s failure to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its Council of Europe obligations leads to sharp increase in political arrests http://platformlondon.org/2013/10/01/paces-failure-to-hold-azerbaijan-accountable-for-its-council-of-europe-obligations-leads-to-sharp-increase-in-political-arrests/

Fundamental freedoms under attack in the run-up to Azerbaijan’s presidential election http://fpc.org.uk/articles/636

Oops I did it again!

I wish this was about Britney Spears, pony tails, and high school. No, this is a moment my dear friends I call (and it just came to me as I was actually sharing this on Facebook) the "Oops I did it again" moment referring to fraud elections in Azerbaijan. 

Here is the scoop- the main electoral body- Central Election Committee of Azerbaijan wanted to be all high tech and released apps for Android and i-Phone. Not sure how far our IT sector has developed (even though authorities are claiming its the fastest growing non-oil sector) it obviously needs a lot more development at least in being a tat bit more discreet. I mean EVERYBODY knows elections will be falsified but at least as it has been in previous elections people have a day of hope before the results are announced. So unable to hide their excitement and start the celebrations early, CEC app already showing the results of tomorrow's elections. Guess what?! Aliyev wins! 

Here is the screen shot: 

Oops!...I did it again
I played with your heart, got lost in the game
Oh baby, baby
Oops!...You think I'm in love
That I'm sent from above
I'm not that innocent

yeah yeah yeah yeah

The Central Election Committee

About a month ago, I took my papers personally to the Central Election Committee here in Baku in order to get observer credentials during the upcoming elections. It went almost too smoothly- a printed out form, filled and signed, with two passport sized photos and a photocopy of my passport. But, I didn't get anything in return- like a receipt or a paper confirming my application. The guard (who was extremely kind and also surprised that I was applying for an observer credentials to begin with) took my papers and assured me that I should have them ready in three days. So imagine my surprise when I showed up at the CEC this afternoon and was told that they never received my papers. 

The man on the phone (I had to stand outside of the entrance and call from a phone attached to the wall) took the liberty of making a few jokes- your last name means "lost" (yes, if you take the first four letters of my last name it does have a meaning as such but really?) so maybe it was natural that papers got lost somewhere. Numerous times he asked me whether I applied individually and perhaps there was simply a problem. He then told me to call another extension number. I did. No one answered. I called back the man I spoke earlier. I asked him how is it that if there were any kind of issues with my application they never called the number provided on the paper. He first was surprised. "Which number?" he asked, I said the number that you asked me to provide on the paper when I came here. "Are you sure you came here yourself?" he asked again. No, I teleported my self-double.

Anyhow, surely I was frustrated. In the back of my head, I thought there was a slight little chance that I was never going to get it. But then SURPRISE! 

The man who joked with my name called back and said the credentials were actually ready. I am heading there now to get it. I will take a photo- it feels like a historic moment.

We are voting, but are we really?

October 9th, is the day when some five million Azerbaijanis are going to cast their votes and choose their next president. But are they really? The country haven't seen a democratic election for two decades- do its people even know or remember what its like and what it feels like to know your vote counts? To know that your vote is making a difference? 

I remember past voting- even when I studied abroad, I made sure I was there, I wanted my vote to make a difference (even if it never did). On October 9th, perhaps is one of those "days" when I want to believe that my being there is going to change something (even if in reality, it wont). 

Everyone knows that the elections are going to be falsified. Nobody is even hiding this. And this what is really sad about the faith of these elections and the faith of previous elections as well (not to mention the faith of this country and its fellow citizens who deserve so much more than what they are given- if they are given anything that is). After all the president did assure everyone that the elections will be falsified ehm, excuse me, held in free and fair atmosphere.

But even if I as many others go into these elections already knowing the results its the hope that really counts. I am going to vote, even if these are not the elections where my vote is going to make a difference. Not yet...