Landslide victory for pro-Putin party “United Russia” winning 61 % of the vote, but has there been an election?
Robert Coalson of RFE/RL analyses “Five Myths About Russia’s Elections”:
There is an “election” going on in Russia. Not an election, but an “election.” This is not an election that falls short of international standards. It is not a democratic, a flawed-democratic, or even a pseudo-democratic process. According to a recent RFE/RL poll, nearly two-thirds of voting age Russians don’t believe the elections will be conducted honestly. Nearly half say if they do vote, it will be out of a sense of “duty.”
The Kremlin, regardless, is expending considerable effort to create the illusion of a democratic process, with the Kremlin-controlled election agencies, the Kremlin-controlled legislature, and the Kremlin-controlled media, which constantly intones the mantra that Russia is following its own democratic path, that the country has a reliable democratic system. (…)
Here are five myths the Kremlin’s political spin machine has been working non-stop to promote.1) President Vladimir Putin is popular. (…)
2) Parties matter. (…)
3) Issues matter. (…)
4) Election rules matter. (…)
5) Election results will reflect the public will. (…)
Read the whole analysis here:
“Analysis: Five Myths About Russia’s Elections” by Robert Coalson, RFE/RL, December 2, 2007
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Die WELT gibt Wladimir Putin Kopfnote 5 und ich finde, da kommt er noch gut weg (”Die sieben Todsünden: 5. Völlerei: Wladimir Putin”, Die WELT, 1.12.2007):
Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin kalkuliert nüchtern, aber maßlos. Er nutzt die angebliche Bedrohung durch einen möglichen Raketenabwehrschirm der Amerikaner in Polen und Tschechien, um schon jetzt den KSE-Vertrag auszusetzen. Der Vertrag stellt eine der wichtigsten Abrüstungsvereinbarungen für Europa dar. Nun kann Russland seine neuen Raketen, die es längst produziert hat, ganz offiziell aufstellen. Mit der Sorge vor dem Raketenschirm hat Putins Schritt nichts zu tun.
Note: 5