Azerbaijan: Bid for Political Influence

Women are campaigning hard to ensure more are represented in parliament, in an effort to better protect their rights and challenge the stereotypical way in which many men perceive them.

At present, women are underrepresented in the parliament, or Milli Mejlis, comprising just 13 out of 124 deputies. This may be one reason, say analysts, why women’s rights in Azerbaijan are not being discussed at a legislative level.

But some women’s groups are becoming increasingly vocal about insisting on equal treatment.

The Society for Women’s Rights has already compiled a list of 20 women candidates who intend to stand for parliament in the November 6 ballot. The organisation’s head, Novella Jafaroglu, said that a major election campaign is being launched to support them.

“The presence of women in parliament who will defend our interests will be a good lobby for women’s organisations,” she told IWPR.

Jafaroglu said her group will help female candidates navigate their way through the complex swathe of electoral procedures, providing them with all the information they need to campaign for a seat in parliament.

She said that since the collapse of the Soviet Union, women in Azerbaijan have lost confidence in themselves, with few believing they have any chance of achieving success in politics.

“There is a stereotypical understanding of the role of women in society, and women themselves fall victim to it. Many have decided already what they can and cannot do. And this is our main problem,” said Jafaroglu.

The head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, Lala Shovket, suggested that women are often their own worst enemies. “Discrimination begins when women start asking each other what a woman politician is,” she said.

Gender relations experts say the principles of equality and the rights of women to take part in political life are enshrined in the legal system. Indeed, in January 1998, the State Committee on Women’s Problems was founded and the same year the president issued a decree that women should have a bigger role in society, and that policies towards them should improve.

Fine words, but they have not translated into real progress and leading women in public life have not been able to exert sufficient influence to change the status quo, say analysts.

This, despite the fact that a number of women hold positions of some power and influence, such as the deputy head of the Commission for Human Rights at the Milli Mejlis, Rabiat Aslanova, deputy head of the Milli Mejlis, Govkhar Bakhshalieva, ombudsman of Azerbaijan, Elmira Suleimanova, and Constitutional Court judge Gular Rzaeva.

“[Women politicians] can make statements, but they cannot change anything in the social and political life of the country,” said Bahar Muradova, Milli Mejlis deputy and senior official in the governing party, Yeni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan).

Muradova added that she intends to stand as a candidate in the upcoming elections, representing Yeni Azerbaijan. Her electoral platform will be geared towards the defence of women’s rights, and the first step, according to her, should be to increase the number of women in parliament. But she accepts that it will not be easy.

According to data from social research centre AREAT, there’s significant discrimination against women during the election process.

This manifests itself through things like limited access to the media, preferential official support for male candidates and the use of traditional stereotypes against female candidates.

“As a result, some are afraid of being involved in politics and give up,” said Muradova.

AREAT’s research also shows that the fight for women’s rights has been hampered by insufficient knowledge of laws and procedures.

In a survey by the centre, 47 per cent of young women said that if they were better informed about their rights, they’d be more inclined to try to take control of their lives.

But some suggest that while women have a limited say in parliament, the main problem is the democratic deficit in the country.

“The problem is that laws do not function in Azerbaijan, so it is difficult to talk about free political activity. I would not make a distinction between women and men in politics,” said Leila Yunus, director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy.

Sabira Mustafaeva is an IWPR contributor in Azerbaijan.