The state of politics in Russia

Today, the Times ran a story about an electoral backlash against Vladimir Putin and United Russia, the current ruling party. Reports suggested that support for United Russia has fallen to about 46% - a far cry from what it used to be - despite United Russia pulling out all the stops to try and ensure a smooth job switch between Putin and Medvedev by using all sorts of dodgy tactics, including banning the major opposition party and voter intimidation.

BBC article

I'd be interested in what our Russian tropers have to say about this.

That's interesting. Maybe the Putin-Medvedev agreement won't work out so well.

A journalist working for gazeta.ru, I have read, managed to get employed by his local voting fraud team. He was given like fifty voting cards with the marks already on and told to walk around and throw them into ballots he'd visit.

2011 Russia Duma election I watched it one RT News. 450 Seats:

• United Russia 238 (down 77 from 315)
• Communist 92 (up 35 from 57)
• A Just/Fair Russia 64 (up 26 from 38)
• Lib Dem 56 (up 16 from 40)

edited 5th Dec '11 2:51:40 PM by secretist

Beholderess! Where are you?

She will arrive by our powers combined.

I believe the last time any topic like this came up, she stated that she preferred to keep such opinions to herself.

Awww. I found her posts informative.

I am here, but not sure what I can say about it. Sure, I've voted - for whom is my own business but, knowing me, you can guess for whom I did not vote. I've heard quite a lot of rumours of various sorts of fraud, and I believe I've mentioned somewhere that the ruling party is not as universally popular as it wishes it was. But I have nothing but hearsay to confirm either.

Personally, I did consider voting futile and fully expected the ruling party to have 90% of votes no matter what the number actually was. I am surprised that they took any hit at all.

~sigh~

Dammit. The PRC is autocratic, Russia is nearly as bad, the US is a plutarchy and Europe is playing the blame game like a bunch of first graders.

Not much help to be found in this world, it seems...

Fucking hell, I shouldn't be seriously entertaining the idea of moving to Canada! Stupid dystopic world and stupid politics...

Hmm, if newspapers are to be believed, president alluded to some troubles to the heads of the regions in which "United Russia" got a low number of votes

A homemade vault sounds less and less like a paranoid dream. Please get me out of here T_T

Beholderess, perhaps the fact that they took a hit in the first place indicates that voting isn't quite so useless as you think. Granted, it needs to be done in conjunction with other political and activist... activities, but used properly it can change things.

USAF; yeah, Canada's government is not a saint, given their environmental policies.

@Beholderess: I had you pegged as a Fair Russia voter.

At any rate, any chance the party in government panics and turns on itself, each petty faction trying to cling to their remaining popularity and blaming the other party wings for the hit? When parties' majorities are drastically reduced, coalitions panic.

United Russia looks more like a coalition of different plutocratic/nationalistic groups and rackets than an actual party with coherent policy...

edited 6th Dec '11 9:49:17 AM by SavageHeathen

Meh, I think Putin's got enough pull and bizarre charisma to hold them together until he dies. It'll be a situation to watch after he's gone. *shrug* But that's an outsider's opinion.

United Russia's factions:

• November 4 Club
• Center for Social Conservative Politics
• Liberal Club
• State Patriotic Club State Patriotic Club State Patriotic Club

Side Note: Right Cause (for N 4 C and LC) is where alot of these votes would go if United Russia wasn't so much of a big tent! Liberal Democratic, Patriots, and Communist as well (for SPC)!

edited 6th Dec '11 10:56:36 AM by secretist

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/06/9255664-moscow-election-official-i-helped-rig-russia-vote

Interesting how they are claiming that multiple parties are involved, not just Putin's. They even sort of come up with an agreement beforehand concerning who gets what votes.

It all worries me, you know http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16052329

I'd prefer to find my city intact when I return

We definitely live in interesting and exciting times.

There's this PBS News Hour report from today on the protests and this analysis from the same place about changing political opinion in Russia, but then again, y'all have Beholderess to give you first-hand information about this already.

@Beholderess: re "when I return" are you not at home in Moscow right now?

Huh, I kind of thought Gorbachev was dead, but there's news on him now. There's also apparently going to be a protest in Moscow.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/07/world/europe/russia-protests/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

For the last few months I've been in Budapest studying. So, unfortunately, I can't give you any first-hand information. As far as I know, though, there are other people on fora who can.

edited 7th Dec '11 8:57:55 AM by Beholderess

Today's episode of NPR's On Point radio show is talking about the protests, the election results and election fraud, and more. Right now.

http://cptv.ic.llnwd.net/stream/cptv_mp3live (Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network link)

edited 8th Dec '11 7:13:59 AM by GlennMagusHarvey

Occupy Moscow?

And now we have Putin accuse the US, specifically the government, of encouraging the unrest...

...

...

What.

edited 8th Dec '11 8:29:59 AM by EarlOfSandvich

Another protest seems to be planned on this Saturday. Also, if Internet is to be believed, the official TV channels do not speak a word of any unrest. Some of them, however, demonstrated movements in support of the president and the ruling party, saying that people are widely celebrating their victory.

Considering that Internet access outside of the main cities is still somewhat rare and most of the people in the regions get their info from official TV, it is quite possible that noone will even notice what's going on. So I suppose that in the few days it will be over and forgotten.