Irrelevant elections coming up?
This analysis from The Economist suggests that Russian elections in the near future might be irrelevant civic exercises.Putin versus nobody serious
"AT A recent gathering of Other Russia, a loose coalition of liberals, nationalists and communists who oppose President Vladimir Putin, a pro-Kremlin youth group lit candles and played a funeral march. The stunt cut close to the bone.
"Russia’s opposition may not yet be dead, but it is in a deep coma. The Kremlin has hollowed out politics by rigging rules on parties and elections. It has made it hard for the opposition to put its case on television and sent truncheon-wielding police to dispel protesters. But infighting, lack of ideas and above all low public support have done as much to hurt the opposition. Just four months before a parliamentary election and eight months before the presidential poll, it is divided, demoralised and lacks a single candidate. Mr Putin’s approval rating, meanwhile, stands at a majestic, if propaganda-fuelled, 85%...
"The two older liberal parties, Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces (SPS)... have failed to combine, though both seek votes from the same sort of people...
"The problem, however, runs deeper. As Boris Nemtsov, one of the SPS’s more plausible leaders, says: 'There is no real demand for a liberal opposition in Russian society.' Many Russians still associate liberals such as Messrs Nemtsov and Chubais with impoverishment, chaos and loss of national pride in the 1990s...
"Few Russians care enough about freedom of speech or human rights to risk their improving lifestyle. 'The Kremlin has done a deal with the Russian people,' says Mr Kasyanov. ‘“Citizens! Enjoy life, travel abroad, buy cars, but don’t get involved in politics. If your patriotic feelings start to stir, we’ll satisfy them.’”..."
Labels: elections, parties, politics, Russia
posted by Ken Wedding @ 6:29 AM
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