Russia: the charade of the elections
The Russian presidential election will take place from March 15 to 17, on the eve of the Orthodox entry into Lent. For the occasion, it seems that the outgoing president, Vladimir Putin, wanted to put on a democratic costume. His goal? Ensure a massive re-election that strengthens its authority, at a time when the continuation of the war in Ukraine no longer attracts support.
After four mandates and a longevity in power comparable to that of Stalin; after the ouster, at the beginning of February, of the anti-war candidate Boris Nadejdine on the pretext that his file contained irregularities; after the assassination of the opponent Alexeï Navalny, on February 16, in the penal colony in the Arctic where he was relegated, Putin will have to force the makeup if he wants to appear as a legally and consensually elected candidate.
Everything is being done so that the Russians, willingly or by force, participate in this carnival election. In the Tula region, vouchers are promised to those who vote for the first time, regardless of their age. In the Yaroslavl province, it is planned to install buffets at polling stations. In Saint Petersburg, the speech alternates between praise for the glory of the president – “For a bit, one would believe that it was Putin himself who founded the city” comments a resident – and threats of dismissal against those who do not would not go to the polls.
The illusion goes so far as to propose four candidates, including three puppets disqualified in advance. “I am not going to call for a vote against Putin. I will not take away his voice,” warns one of them. We even planned a second round.
To expose such a charade, Putin’s opponents are preparing to attempt a final protest. The “Noon against Putin” operation, which Navalny had supported from his prison, calls for crowds to go to the polls on March 17 at 12 p.m., to vote against the outgoing president. Will noon be the hour of truth when, thanks to the mobilization of the Russian people, the autocrat will finally appear in his true light?