The election for the legislative began on Thursday, September 16 evening in the far east of the country and continues until Sunday, September 19. The popularity of the ruling party has never been so good…

Parliamentary elections locked and maximum pressure in Russia

Polling station during parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia on Friday, September 17, 2021. AP - Pavel Golovkin

Text by: Anissa El Jabri Follow

4 min

The election for the legislative began on Thursday, September 16 evening in the far east of the country and continues until Sunday, September 19.

The popularity of the ruling party has never been lower with less than 30% of favorable opinions.

But, with the crackdown on the opposition and pressure on the media, the Kremlin did everything to ensure victory

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From our correspondent in Moscow,

In Russia, the maximum pressure is exerted until the end.

We had started voting for several hours in the Far East, when we learned, Friday, September 17, that Google and Apple had yielded to pressure from the Russian authorities and removed the “smart vote” application.

This application made it possible to identify, following the recommendations of the Navalny camp, the candidate most able to beat that of power.

► To read also: Russia: the pressure is increasing on the digital giants on the eve of the legislative elections

Either way, with hundreds of applications blocked and a

Navalny in jail

, the campaign virtually never existed.

To give a sense of pluralism to this vote, we have seen the arrival of several new parties and new candidates who are not always very comfortable.

At the beginning of the month, we saw a beginner candidate asking to leave a television set at the very beginning of his presentation.

Few viewers were able to watch this moment: the program was presented early in the morning or late at night, and almost nothing appeared on the television websites.

Little suspense

In this context, the suspense is at least limited: it concerns the level of participation and the result of the Communists: the KPRF party is the so-called “systemic” opposition, tolerated by the Kremlin, represented in Parliament and loyal to the essential. By talking about purchasing power and pensions, they have however succeeded in embodying a form of sanction voting and attracting voters who do not necessarily adhere to their rhetoric.

A teacher she met in Nizhny Novgorod explains: “

I am going to vote for the Communists, because their chances against the ruling party are the highest, they are really those who can have the most votes.
I'm not going to say it's a party that fills me up, but I still prefer to vote for them.
It's really not a choice of the heart, but since I think we have to show the power that we do not agree, all means are good.
The power will never understand us, but that doesn't mean we have to stop trying.
In any case, it is the only peaceful way to express your protest

”.

The Navalny strategy: vote for the Communists

It is moreover the strategy adopted by the Navalny camp which recommended most often to carry its votes on a Communist candidate. A choice which was debated and which divides in the opposition and which could generate a loss of votes. For Andrei Kolesnikov, researcher at the Carnegie Institute: “

For people who believe in liberal ideas, in democracy, and who have lived under communism, it is important not to participate in elections in an almost technical way, but to vote on the background. For them, there is only one party that is still authorized to participate in the elections, it is the Yabloko party which is center-left. Some of these people will maintain their vote for this party

”.

What is the point of these locked elections without any chance for the opposition?

Much more than displaying a simple democratic facade in any case, Judge Andrei Kolesnikov: "

It's a way of making the Russians understand 'hey look, you are in the majority: You voted for us, and you legitimized us .
It's not just your neighbors, your entourage, there are a lot of people who voted for us.
Look at the numbers!
they are too high! '
and people will think,

"That's right, what can I do with this regime. The majority is still for Putin so it's better for me to be with the mainstream and not with the minority."

The pressures to vote in some companies, the lack of free access to cameras in polling stations, doubts about the ballot are already there.

Especially since there will be no OSCE observer mission: Russia for Covid-19 reason wished for a reduced delegation, too small to ensure proper work, ruled the organization.

► Also to listen: Russia: these inhabitants who feel disillusioned with politics (4/4)

Parliamentary elections locked and maximum pressure in Russia

Parliamentary elections locked and maximum pressure in Russia

Little suspense

The Navalny strategy: vote for the Communists

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