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Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumRussians head to the polls amid anger over economy and Covid
Source: The Guardian
Russians head to the polls amid anger over economy and Covid
Ruling United Russia party polling at near-historic lows but likely to find a way to keep control of State Duma
Andrew Roth Moscow correspondent
Fri 17 Sep 2021 05.00 BST
Russians will head to the polls beginning on Friday for parliamentary elections that could serve as a platform for popular anger over the economy, a crackdown on dissent and the government response to the coronavirus pandemic. But the ruling party, United Russia, is likely to find a way to maintain a stranglehold on its control of the State Duma.
While stifling political opposition and independent media, the Kremlin is trying to solve a simple maths problem: how can it prop up the numbers of United Russia, which is polling at near-historic lows, without provoking the kind of protests that broke out over widespread incidents of crude voter fraud in 2011.
Before the vote, which will be held over three days, there has been increasing support for the Communist party, while other opposition behind Alexei Navalny, the jailed Kremlin critic, has sought to consolidate through a smart voting effort that mainly identified Communist candidates as the strongest challengers.
There are a lot of people who are unhappy, said Anastasia Bryukhanova, an independent candidate from one of the countrys most opposition-minded districts in north-west Moscow. The biggest problem remains a lack of belief in our own power, a lack of belief in the elections themselves. The biggest battle is to get people out to the polling station and at least try to resist.
-snip-
Ruling United Russia party polling at near-historic lows but likely to find a way to keep control of State Duma
Andrew Roth Moscow correspondent
Fri 17 Sep 2021 05.00 BST
Russians will head to the polls beginning on Friday for parliamentary elections that could serve as a platform for popular anger over the economy, a crackdown on dissent and the government response to the coronavirus pandemic. But the ruling party, United Russia, is likely to find a way to maintain a stranglehold on its control of the State Duma.
While stifling political opposition and independent media, the Kremlin is trying to solve a simple maths problem: how can it prop up the numbers of United Russia, which is polling at near-historic lows, without provoking the kind of protests that broke out over widespread incidents of crude voter fraud in 2011.
Before the vote, which will be held over three days, there has been increasing support for the Communist party, while other opposition behind Alexei Navalny, the jailed Kremlin critic, has sought to consolidate through a smart voting effort that mainly identified Communist candidates as the strongest challengers.
There are a lot of people who are unhappy, said Anastasia Bryukhanova, an independent candidate from one of the countrys most opposition-minded districts in north-west Moscow. The biggest problem remains a lack of belief in our own power, a lack of belief in the elections themselves. The biggest battle is to get people out to the polling station and at least try to resist.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/17/russians-head-to-the-polls-amid-anger-over-economy-and-covid
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Russians head to the polls amid anger over economy and Covid (Original Post)
Eugene
Sep 2021
OP
Lovie777
(11,992 posts)1. Fraud and stolen is Russian elections ....
republicans want to be like Russia. Putin 90% approval bs.
It's not a free, balance, and fair election.
bearsfootball516
(6,369 posts)2. I'm sure Putin will win a legitimate, cleanly run election.
Right, comrades?
czarjak
(11,194 posts)3. Russia, if you're listening,