Putin re-elected in Russia. Communist Party gets 18%

[Tavarisch_Mike]

Vladimir Putin has been elected Russian president for the third time, exit polls suggest, after spending the last four years as the country's PM.

The exit polls gave Mr Putin about 60% of the vote, meaning that he should avoid a run-off with his nearest rival, Communist Gennady Zyuganov.

Officials say turnout was higher than for the last election in 2008.

But opposition groups have reported widespread fraud, with many people voting more than once.

They have called for mass protests in central Moscow on Monday.

Meanwhile thousands of supporters of Mr Putin have gathered with Russian flags and banners outside the Kremlin for a concert to celebrate his victory.

There is tight security in the city, with 6,000 extra police brought in from outside.

High turnout

The electoral commission published preliminary results, with 14% of districts counted, showing Mr Putin gaining nearly 62%, and Mr Zyuganov just under 18%.

The other three candidates were in single digits.

In a news conference after the polls closed, Mr Zyuganov described the elections as "unfair and unworthy".

But he said that with increasing public anger, Mr Putin "would not be able to rule like he used to".

"These elections cannot be considered legitimate in any way," said Vladimir Ryzhkov, one of the leaders of the street protest movement, which was not represented in the election.

Meanwhile Mr Putin's campaign chief Stanislav Govorukhin described the poll as "the cleanest in Russian history".

The turnout was 58.3% by 18:00 Moscow time (14:00 GMT), considerably higher than in 2008 elections. Electoral officials forecast a final turnout of 62.3%.

The election was held against a backdrop of popular discontent, sparked by allegations of widespread fraud during December's parliamentary elections in favour of Mr Putin's United Russia party.

Observer organisations said there had been thousands of violations including so-called carousel voting, with busloads of voters being driven around to different polling stations.

The alleged fraud came despite the presence of thousands of independent observers and web cameras at polling stations.

Opposition blogger and anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalny told the BBC: "Grandiose scale of falsifications, especially in Moscow... mass use of carousel voting."



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17252190

[B.K.]

Not yet re-elected (only 26% of of votes already are counted), but there's no doubt that he will win with more than 55 or even 60%. Don't even want to think what may happen tomorrow...

[Arlekino]

Not yet re-elected (only 26% of of votes already are counted), but there's no doubt that he will win with more than 55 or even 60%. Don't even want to think what may happen tomorrow...
What can be happening tomorrow? Would you tell to us.

[B.K.]

A lot of people are already extremely pissed off. A huge protest rally is appointed for tomorrow (7PM) in Moscow, and there's a serious possibility of it to turn violent. Moscow is already full of police, internal army forces, and Putin supporters (mostly brought from the provincial areas), so it the clashes start, it may result in another "black October" (like in 1993). Moreover, the level of ethnic tensions in Moscow is extremely high, and it doesn't help the situation either.

[Arlekino]

http://drupal.krasnoe.tv/files/images/425240_282848078452504_232639880139991_663842_2138 516270_n.large.jpg

Zirinovsky 7.7
Ziuganov 15.8
Mironov 3.4
Prohorov 6.3
Putin 66.1

[Ocean Seal]

There is a joke in all of Russia.
Mr. Putin calls the elections commission.
The official answers and says Mr. Putin I have good news and bad news.
Mr. Putin says start with the good news.
The official says the good news is that you won the election.
So what's the bad news?
No one voted for you. :laugh:

[B.K.]

Ballot stuffing in Dagestan:

KaFY8IjNKQ8

There were webcams on all the polling stations, so everyone could watch the voting process online, and there's already a lot of videos like the one above - mostly from Dagestan, but some also from Moscow and SPb. What an "excellent" idea to perform a massive vote fraud in the region which is dangerously close to civil war...

[daft punk]

Communist Party leader declares elections unfair! :laugh:Ah, those were the days, when the USSR was a democratic paradise!

[MustCrushCapitalism]

Betting that term limits will be abolished during Putin's term this time around.

I wonder why Russians even vote anymore though. It's just a massive fraud for United Russia.

[Arlekino]

Communist Party leader declares elections unfair! :laugh:Ah, those were the days, when the USSR was a democratic paradise!

What democratic paradise any candidates has to deal with fucking capitalism.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

All elections are fraudulent.

Not sure why this one would be any different.

[Q]

Putin won? Now there's a shocker.

And the fight continues. Solidarity with the Russian workers who will protest tomorrow.

[Brosip Tito]

First off, don't be caught in the illusion that elections change very much. They can improve the living standards of the working class, and they can show -- in the case that there is a purely revolutionary oppositionist party -- how much support there is for the workers movement. I do advocate electing the farthest left party.

Second, it is better to have "free" elections compared to elections in the likes of Iran or Russia for example. Free and fair -- for what it's worth in bourgeois democracy.

Lastly, the Communist party of the Russian Federation is NOT a revolutionary workers party. It is a party of nationalist, and not the left wing kind, wannabes, who have wet dreams about meeting uncle Joey Stalin.

[B.K.]

BTW, some funny stuff from the webcams.

Sleeping cop @ the polling station somewhere in rural Central Russia:

http://s017.radikal.ru/i410/1203/de/75cfe5a1b310.png


Tyumen, a night before the elections (cameras were already online):

r798b1Nmb-w

Chechnya. Someone forgot a rifle:

http://cs10477.userapi.com/u3343208/-14/y_a641e492.jpg

Chechnya again. A private house in the rural area near Vedeno, turned into a polling station:

1LtDWmsc5j0

"Miss Elections 2012":

h9Da4mpVitY

[daft punk]

What democratic paradise any candidates has to deal with fucking capitalism.
I do not understand this. Please repeat in English.

[Nox]

I've always wondered who the Caucasians actually vote for... As far as I know, the votes in places like Dagestan, Chechnya etc have always been almost entirely rigged.

[queennzinga]

i bet they'll be a ''russian spring'' all over the media tomorrow :rolleyes:

[Sam_b]

It's just a massive fraud for United Russia. Prove this please. The outcome is extremely close to the projections that were out from months ago to weeks ago to days ago. The fact of the matter is that if Putin got 40-50% or so on to make a second round necessary, a bunch of you would be on here saying it shows dissatisfaction with United Russia, that things are turning; yet when he gets a vote which reflects the opinion polls, it's obviously rigged right? Apart from some notorious results from the North Caucasus, which are carried out by local leaders and not from the centre, the election appears to have passed without major incident.

I'm sorry, but this chat comes off as lazy, lazy politics by people that don't really understand the Russian political system. In fact, when you seem to back a protest demo called by the likes of a nationalist outfit masquerading as a 'Communist' party, and a bunch of fascist thugs that are 'Liberal Democratic', then it really does show how blaze primarily Western posters are with any political situation they're not comfortable with. Socialists should be asking why Putin and United Russia have become so popular and had such a firm grip on Russian society, how they've exploited things like the press and the courts to keep such a strong political centre, and how socialists can have a positive contribution to make when fighting against a semi-oppressive political machine.

[Dire Helix]

Solidarity with the Russian workers who will protest tomorrow.

They won`t. The recent protests in Russia had a distinctly petty-bourgeois character and were dominated by the middle class. Workers protesting the results of bourgeois elections don`t deserve any solidarity and support anyway.

[Vyacheslav Brolotov]

Other than using fraud, the capitalist parties in Russia also use large amounts of money given to them by the rich oligarchs who support the regime that liberated them from the restrictions of socialism (or whatever you call the oppression of free-market capitalism after Stalin's death). It is so funny because they do this to prevent the second largest party, the Communist Party, from winning. In 1996, Boris Yeltsin won over the Communist Party in national elections by only 3.3 percent. Let us analyse. First of all, Yelstin most likely cheated; second of all, he got large amounts of money from the rich oligarchs. The Communist Party did not get any amount of money from the billionaires, yet they still almost won. That is because the Russian people were (and are) tired of free-market capitalism. Capitalism was marketed to the Russian people back in the late years of the Soviet Union, by the Western imperialists and internal revisionists, as this system that would liberate them and allow them to succeed in life as much as they pleased (I only said Russian because the situations in the other Soviet republics were more centered around nationalism). They fell for the trick, soon to learn that the only people who were going to benefit from capitalism were Yeltsin, the Americans and Europeans, corrupt opportunists, and the wealthy. They were not going to get a share of this promised capitalist wealth. Living standards actually decreased. That is why the Russian people (most likely a large majority) voted for the Communist Party in 1996 and that is also why the Communist Party is still the second largest party. The capitalist parties of Russia, like United Russia, have been only kept alive by the United States, Europe, and the Russian billionaires. Election fraud is only a logical side effect.

[The Young Pioneer]

I do not understand this. Please repeat in English.

Hey, butthole, how many languages do YOU speak?

[Sam_b]

Other than using fraud, the capitalist parties in Russia also use large amounts of money given to them by the rich oligarchs who support the regime that liberated them from the restrictions of socialism (or whatever you call the oppression of free-market capitalism after Stalin's death). It is so funny because they do this to prevent the second largest party, the Communist Party, from winning. In 1996, Boris Yeltsin won over the Communist Party in national elections by only 3.3 percent. Let us analyse. First of all, Yelstin most likely cheated; second of all, he got large amounts of money from the rich oligarchs. The Communist Party did not get any amount of money from the billionaires, yet they still almost won. That is because the Russian people were (and are) tired of free-market capitalism. Capitalism was marketed to the Russian people back in the late years of the Soviet Union, by the Western imperialists and internal revisionists, as this system that would liberate them and allow them to succeed in life as much as they pleased (I only said Russian because the situations in the other Soviet republics were more centered around nationalism). They fell for the trick, soon to learn that the only people who were going to benefit from capitalism were Yeltsin, the Americans and Europeans, corrupt opportunists, and the wealthy. They were not going to get a share of this promised capitalist wealth. Living standards actually decreased. That is why the Russian people (most likely a large majority) voted for the Communist Party in 1996 and that is also why the Communist Party is still the second largest party. The capitalist parties of Russia, like United Russia, have been only kept alive by the United States, Europe, and the Russian billionaires. Election fraud is only a logical side effect.

Except for the fact that the CPRF isn't particularly communist, uses a large amount of nationalist rehtoric, is socially conservative in many places, and has at times been part of corruption itself.

[Искра]

CPRF isn't communist AT ALL.

Also, it fucking funny to read how Leftists want "free elections"...

[Vyacheslav Brolotov]

Not that I agree with the CPRF or wish to be aligned with them, but I do believe that their position as the second most popular political party in Russia represents the Russian people's resistance against capitalism. I also believe that this nationalistic Communist Party is way better than any of the other capitalist options, and that most of the Party's nationalist rhectoric is just an attempt at connecting with the Russian masses, many of which still believe in big-country chauvinism.

[Sam_b]

but I do believe that their position as the second most popular political party in Russia represents the Russian people's resistance against capitalism

Except that is a distant, distant second.


I also believe that this nationalistic Communist Party is way better than any of the other capitalist options, and that most of the Party's nationalist rhectoric is just an attempt at connecting with the Russian masses, many of which still believe in big-country chauvinism.


So you're making excuses about a party now? If we start subscribing to 'lesser evil' politics we stand ourself in very poor ground. Especially when this is a nationalist party disguised in communist clothing. How can any leftist stand up and subscribe to the poison of nationalism?

[The CPSU Chairman]

I wonder how much Zyuganov would have gotten without the irregularities. Not that i'm a fan of Zyuganov or the CPRF, but it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had actually won. Probably would have been like what happened in Moldova, I guess, but you never know, maybe things would have (slightly) improved. I've heard the CPRF's popularity has been soaring in Russia recently, so some small part of me thought he just might have a chance this time.


I do not understand this. Please repeat in English.

How about you try to learn that poster's native language (which I think is Lithuanian, based on posts he/she has made before), and let's see how perfectly you speak it?

[GoddessCleoLover]

My understanding is that Zyuganov and the CPRF engage in national-chauvinism in a similar vein to the likes of Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Eduard "Limonov". One of Lenin's most attractive features was his principled stand against Great-Russian chauvinism, even after the Bolshevik seizure of power. Zyuganov and his party may be the heir to CPSU of the 1940s on the issue of nationalism, but they are not Lenin's heirs.

[Krano]

Amazing how a thread about Putins hold on power has turned into Zyuganov bashing, Russia is a one party state just like it was back in the USSR except this time it's a right-wing party
that will drag Russia back to the days of tsarist monarchy.

[NorwegianCommunist]

On the news in my country they showed that in Russia, they spend over 300 million dollar I think on security cameras etc.
If there was any cheating, I don't think it will be easy to find.

But If he got caught by cheating (if he did), then will the communist party leader Gennadij Ziuganov be president? Because of they're second place.

[znk666]

I heard somewhere,that the communist party of Russia are Nationalistic Xenophobes,is there anything to that?

[B.K.]

Online broadcast of the events in Moscow:
http://www.ria.ru/politics/20120305/585059600.html

Left - pro-Putin rally
Right - united anti-Putin rally

[Bronco]

Amazing how a thread about Putins hold on power has turned into Zyuganov bashing, Russia is a one party state just like it was back in the USSR except this time it's a right-wing party
that will drag Russia back to the days of tsarist monarchy.

What are you basing that on?

[Krano]

What are you basing that on?
My paranoid insanity.

[l'Enfermé]

I am not a big fan of the CPRF. It's actually neither Communist/Socialist nor Social-Democratic. They're borderline fascist, national-chauvinist and describe themselves as "patriotic". They're also sort-of allied with the Orthodox Church,.

However, off all the "serious" parties, their program is the most beneficial to the people of the Russian Federation, even the national minorities(but "illegal" immigrants are another thing, according to them they steal the jobs of Russians(In Russian, Ruski=Russian ethnic group, Rassiyanin=Citizen of the Russian Fed, when traslated into English, both "Ruski" and "Rassiyanin" is translated into "Russian", the CPRF says "Rassiyanini", i.e Citizens of the Russian Federation)).

Anyways, their program is here, if you open it with Google Chrome, Google Translate automatically translates it into your language. Here's a summary from Wikipedia:



stop the extinction of the country, restore benefits for large families, reconstruct the network of public kindergartens and provide housing for young families.
[B]nationalize natural resources in Russia and the strategic sectors of the economy; revenues in these industries are to be used in the interests of all citizens[This would be very beneficial for the people of the Russian Fed.]
return to Russia from foreign banks the state financial reserves and use them for economic and social development[Again, beneficial to to Russian citizens]
break the system of total fraud in the elections[Bullshit...]
create a truly independent judiciary[More bullshit]
carry out an immediate package of measures to combat poverty and introduce price controls on essential goods[Combat poverty and reduce prices on bread, good thing]
not raise the retirement age[A lot of pressure in Russia right now to raise it]
restore government responsibility for housing and utilities, establish fees for municipal services in an amount not more than 10% of family income, stop the eviction of people to the streets, expand public housing[Good thing]
increase funding for science and scientists to provide decent wages and all the necessary research[Good Thing]
restore the highest standards of universal and free secondary and higher education that existed during the Soviet era[Good thing]
ensure the availability and quality of health care[Good thing]
vigorously develop high-tech manufacturing
ensure the food and environmental security of the country and support the large collective farms for the production and processing of agricultural products[Agricultural self-sufficiency is a wet dream for the nationalists]
prioritize domestic debt over of foreign (to compensate for household deposits, burnt in the disastrous years of "reform")
introduce progressive taxation; low-income citizens will be exempt from paying taxes[Good thing]
improve the efficiency of public administration, reducing the number of officials to extend the powers of labor collectives and trade unions[Good thing]
create conditions for development of small and medium enterprises[Sounds a bit like NEPism/Bukharinism]
ensure the accessibility of cultural goods, stop the commercialization of culture, defend Russian culture as the foundation of the spiritual unity of multinational Russia, the national culture of all citizens of the country[Here comes the chauvinist crap]
stop the slandering of the Russian and Soviet history[More chauvinist crap]
take drastic measures to suppress corruption and crime
strengthen national defense and expand social guarantees to servicemen and law enforcement officials[They want another ruinous arms race?]
ensure the territorial integrity of Russia and the protection of compatriots abroad[Sounds like nationalist crap]
institute a foreign policy based on mutual respect of countries and peoples to facilitate the voluntary restoration of the Union of States.[Right...]



Generally not bad, but how much of it would they try to do and how much would they be capable of doing, if they were elected?

Basically, they're the smallest evil of the major parties.

[TrotskistMarx]

Most people of this world are about the same psychologically. Jim Morrison of The Doors said that he owns the television corporations. Owns the minds of the people. The media of Russia favored Putin, over the socialist party. The socialist party of Russia had less media power, media backing, just like in USA. That's why they only got 17% in the elections. As long as most television companies of this world are owned by capitalists it will very hard for socialist parties to rise to power thru elections.

And you know most humans are still too dumb, they don't use the internet for knowledge, but more or less like a hobby. That's why people still today rely on TV news, instead of alternative progressive internet news. Putin is a reformist-capitalist, a sort of Norway Green Party capitalist which is a lot better of the machurian pieces of crap imperialist, zionist human garbage Bush and Mitt Romney that rule USA. However Putin is still a capitalist, which means that in Russia a few will still live like kings, with nice Maseratis, Ferraris, BMWs, Jaguars, luxuries and a high life, and the majority will continue to be slaves, wage-slaves, stressed to death, over-worked to death, depressed, stressed and sad even under Putin Norway's welfare third way populist capitalism like most people of this world.

It is the task of the socialist party of Russia to work harder to raise those 18% in popularity to 55%, and it is at the same time the task of the Russian society to get more informed, and to rely on alternative independent news, instead of The Russia Today News Network http://www.rt.com which I think is biased in favor of a reformed welfare European capitalist system. And not in favor of socialism of a workers government


.


.



Betting that term limits will be abolished during Putin's term this time around.

I wonder why Russians even vote anymore though. It's just a massive fraud for United Russia.

[l'Enfermé]

Who needs to abolish terms when the ruling party is always guaranteed victory in elections, and when terms are already 6 years?

[NorwegianCommunist]

I am not a big fan of the CPRF. It's actually neither Communist/Socialist nor Social-Democratic. They're borderline fascist, national-chauvinist and describe themselves as "patriotic". They're also sort-of allied with the Orthodox Church,.

However, off all the "serious" parties, their program is the most beneficial to the people of the Russian Federation, even the national minorities(but "illegal" immigrants are another thing, according to them they steal the jobs of Russians(In Russian, Ruski=Russian ethnic group, Rassiyanin=Citizen of the Russian Fed, when traslated into English, both "Ruski" and "Rassiyanin" is translated into "Russian", the CPRF says "Rassiyanini", i.e Citizens of the Russian Federation)).

Anyways, their program is here, if you open it with Google Chrome, Google Translate automatically translates it into your language. Here's a summary from Wikipedia:


Generally not bad, but how much of it would they try to do and how much would they be capable of doing, if they were elected?

Basically, they're the smallest evil of the major parties.


Thanks for the post, I really like persons opinion on current politics.
But may I ask; Where did you get that they're fascist? (Or borderline)
Because of theire nationalism and militarism?

[l'Enfermé]

Thanks for the post, I really like persons opinion on current politics.
But may I ask; Where did you get that they're fascist? (Or borderline)
Because of theire nationalism and militarism?
They have some fascist features, like you said, ultra-nationalism and militarism and some hints of corporatism. Socially, they're really right-wing, yet economically they're the most left-wing mainstream party in Europe that I can think of. But I wouldn't compare them to the fascism of Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, etc.

What's odd and gives them a fascist vibe, in my eyes, is that the famous Russian neo-fascist, Dugin, was instrumental in founding the party, with Zyuganov.

[Omsk]

Unfortunately,the popularity of Zhirinosky is not a surprise,for an example,just look at the US,the presidential candidates from the 'Republican' party are all horrible - some are completely comparable to Zhirinosky.Those people who pray to god during their public talks,debates,and hope that America will "rule the world!" (I think that one was Mitt Romney) All in all,the right-wing capitalist and bourgeois elections are the same,and the common,non political people usually choose by : "Who is the lesser evil" so to speak,or simply decide to give their vote to whoever they like personally.However,when we are discussing Russian politics,we should remember that the things changed horribly after the fall of the Soviet Union,so such nationalists,paranoid,some would say,completely crazy people do get their chance.But the real lies with the other candidates,because there is no real adequate option other than the bourgeois cadidates,who all favour the privatisation,who all have their own oligarch's - and interest groups,and some of them,are using nationalist empty rhetoric - Zhirinovsky,while some are profound in the use of leftist rhetoric for their political parties,most of them being,social-democratic,and completely useless to the struggle of the huge majority which has many dire problems with capitalism and is yet again being tricked into a magic cicrcle of candidates who have little to actually offer.As marxists,we should know and understand that the political situation in Russia is not something that came suddenly,and something which formed on its own,but rather a situation which was and is,a direct outgrowth of the capitalist system,which is back in Russia,and in the rest of the world.It is common for nationalist candidates to be on the voting list,because they are experienced with the use of nationalism to gain quick popularity among the masses,blaming certain people of groups,or in this case,a part of the world - the West,for all the problems.However,as i said,it is obvious to us that the root of the problem is in capitalism,and that the current situation in Russia,is as same as in most of the countries,in some,the situation is almost identical,- you have one or more right wing conservative nationalist large parties * (Or big liberal 'democratic' capitalist parties),an ultra-nationalist party that still attracts a lot of voices,a big number of smaller social-democratic parties,which hold little or no actual power,and finally - a medium sized 'communist' party which is trying to get votes on the basis of populism and opportunism,trying to attract people with Soviet symbols and rhetoric.Such a situation is common in almost all of the East Bloc republics,and is quite negative.As marxists we should ignore their bourgeoise false options and strive forward to greater goals.As for the trully unacceptable party,in my opinion its the National-Bolsheviks.A completely reactionary mess if you ask me.

[Yazman]

I actually think that the claims of vote fraud might be a bit off kilter. Putin's party winning wouldn't surprise me one bit - it has been quite popular in the past in elections that weren't a big deal, and even though there have been some big protests, it doesn't necessarily mean there aren't a shitload more people supporting the status quo somehow. I mean, this happens in the UK, USA, Australia, et all all the damn time, so unless there happens to be widespread vote fraud in the US as well (although, the past few elections there have actually been accusations of this) and other countries, this isn't particularly surprising. Look at Bush getting re-elected in 2004! There were massive protests by Democrat supporters, too.

I don't think it's really much of an uphill battle for people like Putin and the rest of his party to get elected. I would argue that they don't need to resort to fraud to get elected. This seems to me more like anger from the other parties that they don't have the support they would like to have.