Russia’s rigged elections
Pressure is mounting on Russia’s opposition ahead of legislative elections on 19 September in what critics have described as the “least free poll for decades,” says Max Seddon in the Financial Times. The vote is significant because it is the last before Vladimir Putin’s current term as president ends in 2024. With “rocketing food prices and slumping real incomes, the Kremlin is eager to demonstrate strong support for the president”. So the outcome is “in little doubt”. Analysts say that only the four Kremlin-controlled parties already in the Duma (lower house) are likely to win any of the 450 available seats. United Russia – which backs Putin – is expected to retain its twothirds super majority.
The rapid expansion of online voting, which is “completely untransparent” and is likely to lead to e-voting fraud, will help secure victory, says Pjotr Sauer in The Moscow Times. So will the long list of opposition politicians and activists excluded from the ballot, says Steve Rosenberg on the BBC: all of Alexei Navalny’s team are excluded (Navalny remains in jail). Then there are the “dirty tricks” campaigns and other tactics, adds Seddon. One opposition figure, Boris Vishnevsky, is up against two doppelgangers who have changed their names to his to confuse voters.
Navalny has called for voters to back whichever candidate in their constituency has the best chance of beating the United Russia nominee, regardless of party affiliation, to deprive it of its super-majority. The authorities have reacted by blocking access to Navalny’s Smart Voting website and app downloads which indicate which candidates to support. Meanwhile, state employees are being pressurised to vote for United Russia, says The Moscow Times. The public sector accounts for a third of Russian jobs. With interest in politics at a 17-year low and United Russia’s support at 27%, its weakest in 13 years, their votes will be key.