Geopolitical Nightmares
Posted at 1:54am on Mar. 1, 2008 Dem Czars, Dem Czars, Dem [Beat] Authoritarian Czars . . .
By Pejman Yousefzadeh
How does one say "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" in Russian? Understand that I ask because of this:
The Kremlin is planning to falsify the results of this Sunday's presidential election in Russia by compelling millions of public sector workers to vote and by fraudulently boosting the official turnout after polls close, the Guardian has learned.
Governors, regional officials, and even headteachers have been instructed to deliver a landslide majority for Dmitry Medvedev - Russia's first deputy prime minister, whom President Vladimir Putin has endorsed to be his successor.
Officials have been told they need to secure a 68% to 70% turnout in this weekend's poll - with around 72% casting votes for Medvedev. However, independent analysts believe the real turnout will be much lower - with between 25% and 50% of the electorate taking part.
The Kremlin is planning to bridge the gap by the use of widespread fraud, diplomats and other independent sources have told the Guardian. Local election officials are preparing to stuff ballot boxes once the polls have closed with unused ballots, they believe, with regional officials also giving inflated tallies to Russia's central election commission.
Additionally, public sector workers including teachers, students, and doctors have been told to vote on Sunday or risk losing their jobs or university places. Parents have even been warned at parents' meetings that if they fail to turn up their children might suffer at school.
Read on . . .
Posted in Authoritarianism | Dictatorship | Dmitri Medvedev | Foreign Affairs | Geopolitical Nightmares | Vladimir Putin — Comments (7)/ Email this page » / Read More »
