Sowing seeds of democracy in post-Soviet granite

Finances are a concern in any election, but especially in Azerbaijan where incumbents and wealthy candidates have offered to pave roads and build water pumps before voters cast their ballots. Mammadov argues that these promises only foster the perception that politicians are corrupt.

Getting elected is challenging when access to voters is limited. In Baku, candidate's posters could only be placed in small slots on bulletin boards that line the streets. And in Mammadov's district, there were only 14 slots for the 16 candidates (which is one of many districts; this November there will be about 2,000 candidates for 125 seats).

Reaching voters through television is also difficult. Although satellite dishes accessorize both modern high-rises and Soviet style block-long apartment buildings, Azerbaijan's 8 million citizens do not have access to local television. It is therefore difficult to reach a subset of the population. To manage this problem, Mammadov has set up a phone bank to inform voters in his district when his four-minute video clip will appear on TV this week.

In this environment, it's no wonder that distinguishing himself from the other candidates is what Mammadov calls "a nightmare." Campaigning is often grueling - in the summer heat he canvassed door-to-door to learn about the 38,000 neighbors he hopes to represent, as demographic information for his district was not readily available.

But he remains upbeat and has continued the conversation with his district through street meetings equipped with a microphone. And although his voice grew hoarse, he gained a sense of the important issues - ranging from education to pension plans - for the underrepresented middle class.

Heading into next week's elections, Mammadov's personal election observers (a legal right) will be his eyes and ears. He was pleased to watch Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, support the idea of using ink on fingers to ensure one vote per person in a national television address last week, and is encouraged that more than 70 percent of the population is expected to vote.

On the cusp of both political and cultural change, the Nov. 6 elections will say a lot about the future of Azerbaijan - an American friend, an oil-producing state that will continue to benefit from the rising price of a barrel, and a Muslim country moving toward democracy. The elections will also say a lot about candidates like Mammadov - idealistic, hopeful, running not only to win but also to build a culture of democracy at home from the ground up. Win or lose in November, something has definitely been won.

• Lauren Brodsky, is a PhD candidate at the Fletcher School in Medford, Mass., focusing on US public diplomacy and the regions of Southwest and Central Asia.

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