The 2015 Parliamentary Elections in Azerbaijan: The Neglected Category of Independents

Abstract

About 35 percent of Azerbaijan's parliament members are independents and an even larger number of independents routinely run for parliament. Who are those independents and should we take them seriously? In this article, I show that independents are not a uniform group, and there are three main subtypes: public figure independents, "fake" independents, and independents vying for public visibility. I briefly provide examples for each subtype and argue that with the downfall of traditional opposition parties over the past 10 years and the disturbing irrelevance of political parties in general, non-fake independent candidates have taken up, within the prescribed limits, the job of airing popular grievances. Election cycles allow independents to take a more proactive stance and run grassroots and social media campaigns. Future research should not disregard independents as mere pro-regime puppets if they want to get a fuller understanding of the political dynamics within the electoral authoritarian regimes.