Vladimir Putin raises the load claims of legitimacy to extend its dominance
Throughout Russian history, political repression of the genuine feelings through jokes as a socket has moved. Among the tricks of the Soviet beliebtestenen late it was coming through a local party official in the office and see to steal the first secretary to panic because someone had broken into one night, election counts. "Do not worry mate, have all been published in the papers," the official said. "You do not understand," said the First Secretary. "They stole the results in next year's elections." The joke almost came true last week as the Russians have voted to approve the changes to the 1993 constitution of the country. The most important reform, and the real reason for the exercise was reset term limits so that Vladimir Putin, and for twenty years in power, is already the longest serving leader of the Kremlin by Stalin, remain in office until the 2036th officially, the change of power came occur as soon as they were published the results of the vote on July 1. But the Moscow bookstores for weeks to sell copies of the new constitution, and the Kremlin has started to draft laws that refer already in May. The confidence was understandable. The formal outcome of 78 percent in favor of the Central Election Commission has announced it is no longer useful and not bear more than the actual feelings on the ground compared to 99 percent of the Communists has always Soviet into one "elections" list. It is not difficult to guess what would be the results of an honest vote on constant rule of Putin. With all the limitations of public opinion in an authoritarian state to the extent to which many people are reluctant to give their opinion, trends in Russia are unmistakable. After the Levada Center, the only independent pollster in the country, public confidence in Putin fell to a low of 25 percent. A clear majority of Russians – 58 percent – the idea behind restrictive age, the president at 70; a euphemistic way Putin opposite (turns 68 this year), without his name to say. Before choosing between the proposal and the alternative amendments to the Kremlin, where the liberal Yabloko party – with a limit of two terms of four years in office, a house elected House of Lords, and Parliament appoints the prime minister – a variety would support the package opposition. So instead of a real referendum, with the ability to campaign on both sides, a clear set of procedures and independent monitoring of vote counting, the Kremlin called an ill-defined "plebiscite", as Putin has defined a word loan favored by European dictatorships in the 1920s and 1930. Formally, there was no campaign. The government was to engage freely in unlimited propaganda, while his opponents had blocked their websites and their rallies banned (of course, out of concern for public health at the crown pandemic.) The vote was a week participating with government personnel forced to and held in the offices of election commissions with ample opportunities for ballot tampering. In previous elections, independent observers had helped document fraud, in particular in 2011, managed as large-scale electoral fraud in favor of unprecedented protests of Putin's party. This time only those controlled by "civil rooms" Government have been approved, the count can participate. International observers from the euro urns of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe were not invited either. Their places were carefully selected far-right politicians from Germany and Italy taken praised the vote as "very transparent". For Russians, the vote does not change. It 'clear for some time that Putin will remain in power as long as it remains alive. This of course does not mean he wants. History has changed for the best plans of dictators, first, in Russia and elsewhere. Putin created in the system, if necessary change to come on the streets, not through the ballot box – and probably much earlier than 2036. For the West, although this should have consequences that changes the game. Taken regarded as his party control of parliament in an election by international observers as "not right" since at least 2003 – – During Putin's democratic legitimacy is lacking for some time has the formal letter of the law was even considered remain cautious violates the spirit. In the past, it has expanded its power with tricks like a placeholder to appoint President or exclusion opponents from running against him. This excavation time through term limits, Putin is illegitimate not only de facto but also de jure – in a league with dictators, the "Reset" condition before him, had Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela Alexander Lukashenko Belarus, When Senator Jim Risch (R-Id.), Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Senate, noted "sham vote [on July 1] … has wiped out all traces of Putin's legitimacy." Previous attempts by the United States President to court him – George W. Bush "get a sense of his soul" to invite "Reset" of Barack Obama Donald Trump at the G7 summit – they were tasteless and morally questionable. , Certainly after 2024 relative to do with a usurper future actions. It 'important that the Western leaders of all thoughts refrain curriculum with Putin of "business as usual" – and that those who with their parliaments and public opinion are not stopped. Russia should be invited to return only if the G8 has a democratically elected government that respects both the rights of their citizens and the basic international standards. It took 20 years of Vladimir Putin to travel from one elected president of a complete illegitimate dictator. It 'sa bit ironic that a man who support much attention on its formal prestige and international, would be paid at the end, just drop everything under the bus.
Picture Copyright by Alexei Druzhinin-TASS via Getty Images
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