Russia Election: Opposition Crushed Ahead of Managed Polls

[Milchshake]

Elections for the Duma in Russia start tomorrow. After decades in power, experts notice profound differences from previous Duma elections:

• Record number of opposition candidates are in jail or exile.
• Opposition groups are allying and encouraging members to engage in Smart Voting to win seats.
• United Russia is polling at it's lowest levels.

BBC: Russia election: Opposition crushed ahead of managed polls
"Together we choose!" declare the election posters around Moscow.
The slogan is punchy. But it's misleading. Critics say that, in today's Russia, it is the authorities who choose - who's on the ballot, and who's not.
"Our elections are like a puppet theatre," believes sociologist Vladislav Inozemtsev. "Many independent candidates have not been allowed to run."
The list of politicians and activists excluded from these parliamentary and local elections reads like a Who's Who of the Russian opposition.

"Alexei Navalny is in prison and all his team are off the ballot; [opposition politicians] Ilya Yashin and Lev Schlossberg are barred, too," explains former MP Dmitry Gudkov. Earlier this year Mr Gudkov himself announced plans to run again for parliament. Police raided his flat and the homes of family members; he and his aunt were detained.
"My father was sent a message," Dmitry Gudkov tells me. "The message was that if I stay in Russia, my aunt and I will be sent to jail. They were going to use my aunt as a hostage."
Dmitry left Russia for Bulgaria.
"Putin's popularity is going down. The authorities don't want any independent MPs in parliament. That's why they get rid of all prominent opposition leaders. The security services, the police and prosecutors are the key to providing victory for Putin's forces."

[alkyd]

I am more interested in -snip- but it was deleted by admins for obvious reasons. Will they do the same with this thread or too much bias?

Mod Edit: Don't repost deleted threads. It gives harmful accounts unnecessary attention.

[Milchshake]

I am more interested in -- thread but it was deleted by admins for obvious reasons. Will they do the same with this thread or too much bias?

For the sake of balance, someone has to speak up for pro-Democracy groups.

You're welcome.

[alkyd]

For the sake of balance, someone has to speak up for pro-Democracy groups.

You're welcome.

I am too lazy to google but could you list the names of these opposition figures first. Because BBC hasn't done this job for you except mentioning Navalny.

[Calfredd]

I am more interested in -- thread but it was deleted by admins for obvious reasons. Will they do the same with this thread or too much bias?

You mean that bad faith thread made by a burner account?

[jonnysensible]

ooof apple and google getting rid of the nalvany app. the invisible hand of the market and liberating western capital at work!

[Gaidax]

I certainly don't give a fuck and I'm ethnically Russian myself.

That country can do whatever the fuck it wants, Russians love having their Tsar/Chief/Leader, their big guns and their delusions of grandeur, it's in their blood, it's how people are educated there. Until the people change, it will remain as it was for hundreds of years, just the chief dictator changing the label once in a while.

So I look at this and am just glad my parents got me out of there when they did. That country is fucked and it will be all kinds of fucked for decades if not centuries.

It's not even Putin or shit like that, it's the whole system. After Putin there will be Shmutin and so on and so forth. Same shit, different name.

[Easo]

United Russia will win and that's the end of it.
No external observers, no live video feeds, "Smart Voting" app banned day before elections (fuck Google and fuck Apple), basically any and all opposition candidates going against UR either jailed, disqualified, did not have their application accepted, threatened, emigrated, etc.
Anecdotal evidence, but there in Latvia trolls have become especially active in every single news post about Russian elections. The attempt to deflect any and all criticism from Russian officials banning yet another thing is so incredibly obvious it's almost funny.
Previous election already had videos of ballot stuffing, one can only imagine what will happen now with basically no oversight.

It is ridiculous, nothing else to say. Yet our local usual suspects will approve of all of this and argue why those things "are good".

I am more interested in -- thread but it was deleted by admins for obvious reasons. Will they do the same with this thread or too much bias?

I would love a thread on that topic, but too lazy to make one. But yeah, closure after that burner account post was obvious.

[JohnBrown1917]

Strategic votes for the communist party is the only way.

[Easo]

Strategic votes for the communist party is the only way.

Not like it matters. Why? Because UR is gonna win regardless.

So here we go, let's open Twitter and... the stuffing is, of course, happening:
https://twitter.com/Gulay_Pole/statu...95704710291464

Gotta be foreign agents, right, Shalcker, Yadronovich and others I have forgotten?

And if we scroll down, even if we do not understand Russian there are plenty of videos from other places.
P.S.
Putin somehow voted eletronically without mobile phone, which was needed for that (he said he does not have one) and on... 10th September. Ah Russia, you so silly.

[Yadryonych]

Strategic votes for the communist party is the only way.

Do you have the slightest idea of what a horrible cesspit the Russian "communist" party is or you just bought it for its shiny label?

[Mihalik]

Do you have the slightest idea of what a horrible cesspit the Russian "communist" party is or you just bought it for its shiny label?

It.Literally.Doesn't.Matter.

Anything>Putin's Mob.

[Gaidax]

Commies there are a sanctioned "opposition", if you can even use that word. They are biting ankles of some middle management they are allowed to bite and they are well aware who is the boss and where the red line is. They are part of said mob.

[JohnBrown1917]

Russia does need opposition, but opposition that actually cares about Russia's future. Navalny isn't it.

Good thing the communist party exists then.

[Mihalik]

Sound a lot like Trump supporter's behaviour: screwing over political enemies at all costs, even if it means making things worse for everyone.

But then again it is to be expected from Navalny. He never did anything other than cause chaos and use "corruption" buzzword to attack his enemies (most of whom are corrupt, but so is pretty much every institution in Russia - it is the way of doing business there). He never cared about improving Russia.

Russia does need opposition, but opposition that actually cares about Russia's future. Navalny isn't it.

Wait wait wait wait.

Is this the new Putinista narrative? Opposing Putin now makes you a Trump supporter? Wut?

Did you get extra pre-elections turnips to motivate you?

[Zan15]

I am more interested in -- thread but it was deleted by admins for obvious reasons. Will they do the same with this thread or too much bias?

It was most likely created by a ban evading burner acct, which is against forum rules. Has nothing to do with bias

[Gaidax]

Russia does need opposition, but opposition that actually cares about Russia's future. Navalny isn't it.

Putin cares about the future of his crony elites and they care back for him - it's a symbiosis there.

I find this whole statement hilarious given Russia doing everything they can to alienate West and still seeing it as some sort of giga threat when they literally have China eyeing their far east parts for scrap.

In next 20 years, you will see Russia rushing back to the West, because China will grow bold enough to start making big demands - they already do bit by bit, whether its certain fishing rights and so on. China tussled with USSR back when power balance was reverse, in 20 years it will be capable of doing same shit to Russia as Russia can do to Ukraine.

Your elites are "caring about Russia's future" by sending their sons and daughters abroad and building up big parts of EU and such with their little palaces. It's just hilarious. Of course they don't want opposition or actual elections, because then they might get tossed off all the stairs by some unknown. The only future they care for is their own.

And Putin himself - is a dead man anyway. He's soon 70, he got what 3-5 more years max before he pulls out a Yeltsin? With every passing year he's less and less important - the real rule there is elites who will be all too happy to support the successor whoever it will be as long as they are safe and get their piece of the pie.

[Easo]

Good thing the communist party exists then.

Without context (and kinda even with...) this sounds quite silly.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

Wonder how many people will be disappeared or turn up floating in the river over this one.

[D Luniz]

Wonder how many people will be disappeared or turn up floating in the river over this one.

In side Russia, they just go to jail.

Poisons and falling over rails with unrelated holes in the back for people outside Russia