Форум
St Petersburg is Beacon of Hope in Russian Elections
Dear friends,
We would like to bring you an important update on the results of election day in Russia that took place on 8 September. Below we have some initial election analysis from Mikhail Khodorkovsky, as well as news from St Petersburg that will leave you smiling.
[UnitedDemocrats]
On Sunday 8 September, voters across Russia went to the ballot supposedly to elect new governors, regional parliamentarians and municipal councillors. But for the most part the Kremlin was successful in maintaining the political status quo through a variety of dirty tactics, ranging from imprisoning opposition candidates, to ballot-stuffing and falsifying the final results. This meant that the main conclusion to be drawn from the elections was, as articulated by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, that, “[T]hose who should have won didn’t”.
In Moscow, democratic candidates were categorically barred from standing, which motivated thousands of citizens to go out onto the street. The result: the biggest street demonstrations in Russia since 2012. The Kremlin’s response was to arrest over 1,500 people. Seven demonstrators were handed politically-motivated prison sentences of a combined total of 24 years. Nine people are still awaiting trial. All this points to a Kremlin more willing than ever before to persecute its own citizens for their political beliefs.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky has spoken out about the election results in Moscow. He has called on freshly elected deputies to agree on new dates for elections, because “the conditions, under which the elections took place in Moscow and St Petersburg, prevent us from accepting the elected governmental bodies of these cities legitimate”. You can read his full statement [here]
However, in Russia’s second largest city a sense of optimism prevailed: around 400 independent candidates were elected to municipal councils around St Petersburg. Over 140 of the newly elected deputies had received backing from the [United Democrats project]
The results in the St Petersburg municipal elections represent the largest mandate given to democratic candidates in the city since President Putin came to power.
One of the victorious candidates, Natalia Gryaznevich, explained the ramifications of Sunday’s results: “For the city this is a victory of huge significance. It’s the beginning of political reform. Our task now is to help deputies in their work so that people realise that having democrats in power is useful and logical”.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky also commented on the election success, “I am particularly pleased for St Petersburg, where authorities ran one of the dirtiest campaigns, using unlawful strong-arm tactics”.
Several hopeful candidates fielded with the support of the United Democrats were prevented from standing in the elections. Andrei Pivovarov, one of the project’s coordinators, was struck off the ballot at the last minute, despite having already fought (and won) a legal battle to keep his name on the ballot.
In some districts recounts have been ordered after democratic candidates caught election officials scrupulously changing the final voting results to the benefit of pro-Kremlin candidates. This could further increase the share of independent municipal councillors operating in St Petersburg.
