Paul Goebel says no democratic revolution in Azerbaidjan yet

Pravda
14:42 2004-03-16

To date, there has not been a democratic revolution in Azerbaidjan,’
according to American political scientist Paul Goebel. In a radio
interview Monday with the Voice of America, Goebel said that ‘the
holding of elections does not indicate the presence of democracy. In
addition, the majority of the people in Azerbaidjan are inheritors of
the Soviet system and continue to display that mentality. Such people
hope that the presence of even a modicum of stability is a good thing,
but what they don’t understand is that it’s impossible to sustain such
stability.’

He expressed the hope that the current president of Azerbaidjan will
consider the long-term interests of the country. ‘The question doesn’t
concern the next two or three years, but the condition of the country
in 40 or 50 years. In order to achieve success, it is imperative that
Azerbaidjan shift over to democracy. That shift has to be carried out
by the people of Azerbaidjan themselves,’ he said.

The most worrisome factor, in Goebel’s opinion, is the fact that the
government is not yet based on the rule of law, that civic
institutions are absent, and that elections are neither free nor
fair. ‘One shouldn’t consider the preservation of independence since
1991 as an accomplishment,’ he said. ‘Negative influences on the
development of Azerbaidjan consist of a lack of fundamental
governmental institutions, the presence of corruption and problems
with democracy. Currently, the government of Azerbaidjan merely
appears strong. In fact, the system is extremely weak and must be
strengthened,’ said Goebel. Blaming the lack of democratic reforms on
the persistent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaidjan is not good
enough. External threats are often used to justify the absence of a
government based on the rule of law.’