Russian electoral type event: 2011 (Duma)

[Insula Dei]

BTW, are the National-Bolsheviks running candidates? Is Limonov still in jail anyway?

Running candidates for what? For prison council representative? I doubt. They aren't a registered political party, they can't run candidates.

No, Limonov isn't in jail, AFAIK

Weren't they involved with 'Other Russia' or something like that a while back? I don't really follow the Russian opposition, and certainly not the more weirdish parts of it, but Limonov at least had some merits as a poet/writer, which I doubt are to be found in Zhirinosky's oeuvre. And then of course there's the Karadzic video, so I take a bit of an interest in what befalls Limonov. (Also, appearantly there now is an Emmanuel Carrère book about him that's been described to me as quite good).

[ag]

The "Other Russia" can no more run candidates in a Russian election than in Chinese. It's not a legal political party either.

[ag]

As for Limonov, yes, he is a great writer. His entire project is an artwork, a happening, a play, in which he himself plays Leon Trotsky - and should be evaluated from that standpoint alone.

[Linus Van Pelt]

Who the hell are the conservatives, or socialists, or nationalists? Do you mean United Russia, Just Russia and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia? United Russia is not conservative, Just Russia is not socialist, and LDPR is no nationalist.

Somewhat amusingly, given this exchange, there is in this morning's printed New York Times (I have a paper NYT subscription, which I mention only because this sort of thing isn't likely to be on the web site) one of those weird section inserts that's printed in a font to make it look like it's a section of the newspaper but actually contains the word "advertisement" printed subtly at the top of every page, revealing that someone has actually bought a whole section-sized ad of the paper, which must cost a bomb, and in which the articles are fairly propagandistic but written in a newslike tone, a combination reminiscent of a newspaper in a dictatorship. Such things are sometimes produced, for example, by thuggish Gulf principalities showing off all their shiny new buildings built with oil money. But today it is called "Russia: Beyond the Headlines" and sure enough the fine print reveals that it is produced by "the Russian government's paper of record", Rossiyskaya Gazeta. And it is really a textbook example of the type. For example one of the photos is of a young couple holding hands in front of an apartment building with the caption, presented as a piece of matter-of-fact news, "Residential property is no longer out of reach for most Russians".

Anyway, the section also includes some electoral coverage obviously designed to convince the American reader that Russia is a real multiparty democracy with parties of different ideologies (under the hilarious headline "Russia on the Leading Edge of E-Voting"). This includes a handy chart explaining which parties will be competing in the upcoming Duma elections. And I quote the descriptions of the parties given:

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[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

I argue russia is a multi-party democracy where parties have different ideologies ... that all are forced, legally and illegally, to bow to the Kremlin and not do anything controversial.

[ag]

I argue russia is a multi-party democracy where parties have different ideologies ... that all are forced, legally and illegally, to bow to the Kremlin and not do anything controversial.

Well, Russia is NOT a democracy and most of its parties do not really have an ideology (w/ possible exception of the Commies).

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Remember too that Russia has 0 history of true liberal democracy. Even during the Yletisin era, there was very little time to get "used" to liberal democracy. Compare this to, for example, Poland, which had a very crudementary "democratic" form of governent for a very long time.


edit - I'd compare Russian democracy to Democracy in Tunisia prior to the Revolution.

[ag]

Remember too that Russia has 0 history of true liberal democracy. Even during the Yletisin era, there was very little time to get "used" to liberal democracy. Compare this to, for example, Poland, which had a very crudementary "democratic" form of governent for a very long time.


edit - I'd compare Russian democracy to Democracy in Tunisia prior to the Revolution.

1. The former means absolutely nothing. Everything happens for the first time sometime. Poland could have been described as a (very flawed) democracy, may be, for less than 10 years in the 20th century - and before that it had been under Russian control for over a 100 years. Do you really tell me that the 17th century experience of the shliachta republic in Rzeczpospolita is that determinative?

South Korea hasn't known democracy ever until fairly recently - does it imply anything whatsoever?


2. Tunisia wasn't a democracy before the revolution. Calling it a democracy means stripping the word "democracy" of its primary meaning.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Which was the dictator that used 'guided Democracy' as a slogan?

[Tender Branson]

PutinParty out with a new "sex, voting & techno" ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK-nnASP7OY

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

^^^ I was just about to post that.
I'll vote for Putin!

[Tender Branson]

^^^ I was just about to post that.
I'll vote for Putin!

BTW: Where can I download that groove ?

Good for driving ...

[minionofmidas]

Remember too that Russia has 0 history of true liberal democracy. Even during the Yletisin era, there was very little time to get "used" to liberal democracy. Compare this to, for example, Poland, which had a very crudementary "democratic" form of governent for a very long time.


edit - I'd compare Russian democracy to Democracy in Tunisia prior to the Revolution.

Uh... that's a wee bit harsh to the Russians. Maybe substitute Libya.

[Pingvin]

I'll vote for Putin!

WHY DO YOU HATE RUSSIANS??

[Verily]

Which was the dictator that used 'guided Democracy' as a slogan?

I thought that was what the Thai military called their "political system"?

[Pingvin]

Alright, folks, it's time for a shock videos.
Video 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv2uOdNXt8w
Matvei Civinuk, one of the pupils (Grammar School N3, Krasnoyarsk) noted some of UR posters in a school (violation of law - Russian election law prohibits ANY propaganda in schools) wrote something on them. Prinicipial tries to reprimand him.
Video 2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4KstbfxBLI&feature=youtu.be
1st graders (school unknown) Teachers says:
"These are gifts from United Russia. It's a party. When you will grow up, you will also register as United Russia member".
And you still talk about Democracy and free elections in Russia, folks?

[smoltchanov]

Alright, folks, it's time for a shock videos.
Video 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv2uOdNXt8w
Matvei Civinuk, one of the pupils (Grammar School N3, Krasnoyarsk) noted some of UR posters in a school (violation of law - Russian election law prohibits ANY propaganda in schools) wrote something on them. Prinicipial tries to reprimand him.
Video 2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4KstbfxBLI&feature=youtu.be
1st graders (school unknown) Teachers says:
"These are gifts from United Russia. It's a party. When you will grow up, you will also register as United Russia member".
And you still talk about Democracy and free elections in Russia, folks?

Which Democracy??? Which "free elections" May be 10-20 years from now. We are approximately on equal level with South Korea of 1980th (with evolving economy under harsh military regime). If i remember correctly - South Korean military leaders finally went on trial and got harsh sentences after country finally became democratic. My only hope is we will have the same in Russia finally)))

[Pingvin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkauBOKR2x0&feature=player_embedded
Martial arts - Emelyanenko (R) vs. Monson (USA). Emelyanenko won, btw.
When Putin decided to gave speech about Emelyanenko's victory, crowd started to shout: "Boo! Go Away!"
But when Putin mentioned the fighter, crowd started to applause.

[Peter the Lefty]

PutinParty out with a new "sex, voting & techno" ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK-nnASP7OY

It would appear that Putin has been learning quite a bit from his now-ejected sidekick Berlusconi.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

The Putin booing incident has hit the media here.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

According to my calculations

Averages:
United Russia: 279
Communist: 82
Liberal Democrat: 57
Just Russia: 32

Update:
United Russia: 254
Communist: 85
Liberal Democrat: 72
Just Russia: 39

Based on the latest poll

[scoopa]

Alright, folks, it's time for a shock videos.

And you still talk about Democracy and free elections in Russia, folks?

Which Democracy??? Which "free elections" May be 10-20 years from now. We are approximately on equal level with South Korea of 1980th (with evolving economy under harsh military regime). If i remember correctly - South Korean military leaders finally went on trial and got harsh sentences after country finally became democratic. My only hope is we will have the same in Russia finally)))

Yeah, trying to implement democracies - or, more precisely, liberal constitutional regimes (in the classic sense, separation of powers, freedom of speech and press, etc.); democracies de per si aren't that important - in economically underdeveloped countries has very high failure rates. Unless they have a strong tradition of constitutionalism and capitalism. But generally countries have to become somewhat wealthy and have a solid middle-class and some tradition of private business entrepreneurship before becoming an irreversible democracy. There's a very interesting study about this from Przervowski and Limogi. They concluded GDP per capita has a very high correlation with the success rate of new constitutional democracies. One handicap for Russia is that countries which wealth creation is dependent on natural resources tend to do worse.

[ag]

Bull. Look at India.

For that matter, most of Latin America now is fairly democratic. Even Venezuela is more of a democracy than Russia at this point.

[minionofmidas]

Bull. Look at India.

For that matter, most of Latin America now is fairly democratic.

More so than India. Indians are allowed to vote, but not on anything that impacts on their own life.

[ag]

Bull. Look at India.

For that matter, most of Latin America now is fairly democratic.

More so than India. Indians are allowed to vote, but not on anything that impacts on their own life.

Unless you take this as a description of every democracy (a position that I'd find intellectually vacuous), I can't see how you can apply it to India - one of the most functional democracies out there in this world of ours.