The Russian Election

[New Tolerance]

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/disp...tory_id=2282403 (http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2282403)

Comments?

[Jesus Christ]

http://www.economist.com/images/20031213/CSF184.gif


big fucking mess

[New Tolerance]

Seconded.

Hopefully the Leftists will be able to make a come back the next election... If there is even going to be a next election.

[Looter]

The Eltsin counter-revolution has been wiped out, pro-western and pro-Capitalist parties have been eliminated from the Duma. The four parties in the Duma are just different versions of the old Communist party. Russia is back on track. With their system United Russia has a minority of the Duma but with our electoral system he would have a huge majority.

[crazy comie]

wasn't the election unfair according to some observers.

[FistFullOfSteel]

Some guys said something about cheating

[Saint-Just]

Yes, the Kremlin made sure the party that backed them got in, as you can see from the results. It is common knowledge that the Russian elections were corrupt, many voted KPRF because they did not want a one-party state. In addition to corruption United Russia got massive financial backing and was the only party with any sizeable campaign. KPRF were hoping to get 30% of the vote.

[Guest1]

uhh... the four parties that now control the duma are far from communist.

same goes to the communist party, who's leader makes about 500 000 dollars a year and owns an oil company.

[Saint-Just]

Originally posted by Che y [email protected] 16 2003, 02:04 AM
uhh... the four parties that now control the duma are far from communist.

same goes to the communist party, who's leader makes about 500 000 dollars a year and owns an oil company.
That is true, but they are anti-U.S. at least. They are an interesting brand of communists, but I would prefer them in power than the liberals in Russia.

[dissident]

Yeah- but is being anti-West enough? I mean, it's better than nothing. Putin's party is a product of the Yeltsin counter-revolution that reversed years of progress and plunged the country into the worst peacetime industrial depression of the twentieth century. Yeltsin destroyed Gorbachev's reforms, and Putin is Yeltsin's hand-picked successor. Since Yeltsin destroyed Parliament, 'democracy' has been all but completely destroyed (depending on one's definition of democracy, it never really existed in the first place- not necessarily good or bad). Anyway, this recent election was run accordingly. The Communist party need to appeal to the people- and they won't do this by having millionaires run on their tickets. Anyway, that's my spin on Russian democracy. Sad state of affaires, really, the way post-communist Russia has been handled :( . Oh well, I now wonder if Putin will make ammendments to the 'constitution' to lengthen his time in office???? I'd assume so.

[crazy comie]

The hole thing is just fucked up