Beyond 2008: Will These Elections Be Russia's Last?
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posted by zaina19 on December, 2007 as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 11/30/2007 1:41 PM Friday, November 30, 2007 Beyond 2008: Will These Elections Be Russia's Last? By Brian Whitmore Russia - President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in a pre-recorded speech from Moscow, 29Nov2007 In Putin's televised address, he again warned that Russia must 'ensure continuity' (AFP) November 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The past two months in Russia have been marked by a carefully choreographed Putin mania. Kremlin-orchestrated rallies have proclaimed him the "national leader." A fawning televised film by Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov sang the president's praises on his birthday. An open letter from a group of politically connected luminaries, including Mikhalkov, implored Putin to stay in power. Billboards proclaiming "Putin's Plan -- Russia's Future" have sprung up like mushrooms across the country. The tsunami of agitprop is part of a tightly controlled campaign to assure that the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party, with Putin as its top candidate, wins an overwhelming majority in Sunday's parliamentary elections. Putin has warned that his opponents are plotting to return Russia ... >> full
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Securing An Outcome: The How-To's Of Vote-Rigging
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posted by zaina19 on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 11/30/2007 1:44 PM Friday, November 30, 2007 Securing An Outcome: The How-To's Of Vote-Rigging By Chloe Arnold Russia -- local elections, 11mar2007; St. Petersburg voters There are concerns that not all Russian voters will actually cast their own votes (file photo) (AFP) MOSCOW, November 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Russia's Central Election Commission has vowed the December 2 parliamentary vote will be clean and fair. But there have been widespread allegations that a combination of pressure campaigns and outright vote-tampering will ensure a sweeping win for Unified Russia, whose party list is topped by President Vladimir Putin. Polls suggest Unified Russia will win by a wide margin, picking up at least 60 percent of the vote. And the country's new 7 percent threshold means that the likely second-place finishers, the Communists, may be the only other party eligible for places in the 450-seat State Duma. Even so, the drive to secure a sweeping Unified Russia win remains high. Nikolai Petrov, an election analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Center, says ... >> full
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For Russia's Most Powerful Man, Fear Still A Factor
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posted by zaina19 on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 11/30/2007 1:46 PM Friday, November 30, 2007 For Russia's Most Powerful Man, Fear Still A Factor By Robert Coalson Russia -- An opposition protest march in St. Petersburg, 09Jun2007 Why does Vladimir Putin's Kremlin still fear any sign of dissent? (epa) November 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- On the one hand, the Kremlin's plan for the legislative elections seems to be proceeding smoothly. Election commissions, local officials, the police, the courts, and the pseudo-opposition parties all seem to be doing their part to ensure that the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party wins in a rout. On the other hand, the authorities are cracking down sternly, even brutally, on even insignificant manifestations of opposition, from small demonstrations to individual articles in regional newspapers. "Of course, the current authorities are nervous, as we can see," former Prime Minister and opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov said this week. "And this is expressed in the uncertainty of various actions, including the reaction to protest actions that take place." The administration of President Vladimir Putin seems ... >> full
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Advancing Freedom in Russia
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posted by zaina19 on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 11/30/2007 7:33 PM November 28, 2007 Advancing Freedom in Russia by Steven Groves Backgrounder #2088 The current Moscow power establishment is leading Russia back in time. Instead of moving forward toward a nation that cherishes and protects freedom and democracy, the establishment is creating a state and body politic dominated by a new breed of oligarchic groups composed of security officers and their business allies. The Russian media are no longer free and unrestricted. With the exception of a few minor showcase outlets and the Internet, the media are dominated by the Kremlin and its allies. The majority of political parties are under state control, and the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with foreign ties are under severe scrutiny. Russia is no longer a free nation. A return to authoritarianism is not in the interests of the Russian people, their European neighbors, or the world in general. Regrettably, most efforts to protest the Kremlin's political hegemony are suppressed, sometimes violently. Political opponents and media critics of ... >> full
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Russians love 'Vlad the Bad'
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posted by zaina19 on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 12/2/2007 9:47 AM Russians love 'Vlad the Bad' Publication time: Today at 12:37 Djokhar time RUSSIANS relish President Vladimir Putin's earthy phrases. Reacting to sharp western criticism of Russia's parliamentary elections today, Putin, playing `Vlad the Bad', warned western powers not to ‘poke their snotty noses' in his nation's business. Putin, who has been increasingly outspoken of late, mocked President George W Bush's double standard in accusing Russia of dubious elections, squashing opposition, and roughing up dissenters while ignoring similar behaviour by US ally Georgia. He could have also added other key US allies like Pakistan, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. President Putin is right to tell off Western critics and limit foreign observation of Russian elections. Russia is a great, historic power, not some banana republic. If western observers are really needed to supervise votes in Moscow, Omsk and Kaluga, then why shouldn't Russian observers supervise America's sometimes dodgy elections? For example, in Chicago, where the dead routinely vote; in Florida, where ... >> full
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