The Russian government has Silent opposition, Approved the payment of cash to potential voters, and it was almost impossible to monitor polls while preparing for next month’s parliamentary elections, which the opposition warned would be harmed by fraud.
Unify Russia, support the ruling party Vladimir Putin Although national opinion polls show that only 26% of Russians are prepared to vote for the party, he is expected to maintain a majority of seats in the next Duma for almost his entire presidency-the lowest level since 2008.
Critics of the Kremlin say that the government has no choice but to provide a one-time cash gift to make up for the lack of enthusiasm and bring the kind of victory that the ruling party has become accustomed to. At the same time, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, an opposition party that often votes for the United States. Russia, As a possible recipient of the protest vote, the approval rate in the polls has been rising.
Putin is still more popular than the United Russia Party, and refuses to join the party, probably to avoid dragging down his rating.However, he Appeared at a party meeting last week and promised to pay 150 pounds to soldiers and 100 pounds to pensioners before the election, while calling for similar proposals for families with children. Although these proposals are not directly related to voting, they are seen as a simple but expensive way to gain support.
“The brazen bribery of voters, various manipulations, and administrative mobilization [resources] And persecute critics of the regime-this is Putin and his party’s election strategy in 2021,” wrote Opposition political commentator Fyodor Krashennikov (Fyodor Krashennikov) recently traveled to Europe because he said he felt pressure from the government. “All Vladimir Putin can give voters is fear, coercion and a little money.”
At the same time, the rules have been adjusted to make monitoring voting more difficult. The election will be held from September 17 to 19 and will last for three days instead of one day, which makes it more difficult for voting monitors to compare the total number of voters with the votes claimed by the United Russia Party. Unlike in the past few years, the public has been banned from viewing camera information at local polling stations. Golos, the NGO that helped expose fraud in 2011 and other past elections, has been declared a “foreign agent.”
A leader of the organization, Grigory Melkonyants, said: “This is a serious signal about preparing for forgery.”
Ella Pamfilova, a former human rights advocate and head of the Russian Election Commission, said that cameras in polling stations have been banned to prevent cyber attacks. This explanation was questioned by reporters and Kremlin opponents.
“Students, what is this comparison?” When asked about the use of the camera in the past, she said. “This is a different era. There are no cyber attacks and cyber warfare like now.”
Putin’s main opponents were imprisoned or deported. Alexei NavalnyThe opposition leader, who ran for mayor of Moscow in 2013, has been in jail since January on old fraud accusations deemed politically motivated. His national political organization and his investigative department were accused of being connected to Putin and former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and have been liquidated as extremists. Many of its members have fled to avoid arrest.
Other charismatic opposition leaders have also been banned from participating in polls or told that they cannot stand for election due to “extremist” ties. Dmitry Gudkov, the leader of the opposition party who once served in the State Duma, said he was “impossible” to run.he left Russia in June, Said that if he stayed, he would face criminal charges.
“Everyone has been driven out,” said Anastasia Bryukhanova, an opposition candidate in the northern part of Moscow. She and several other liberal candidates are likely to see the strong Protest vote. She said she was fortunate to be able to vote, thanks to a strong fundraising campaign and a lower profile than some opposition leaders seeking to be elected to the legislature.
“I’m very famous in Moscow. But in this election, this kind of decision was made in the Kremlin. I suspect they have heard of a girl named Anastasia Bryukhanova there.”
