How Putin Rigged The Upcoming Election

Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to become the new, 'democratically elected' prime minister of Russia, much in the way Bashar al-Assad is the 'democratically elected' president of Syria – he's stealing the election. How? Putin simply changed election law to favor his party, changed the election system to favor his party and, when that was not enough, he cheated. Here's a summary from today's New York Times:

…“This is the first time in post-Soviet history when only the Kremlin decides who can participate and who can’t,” Mr. Ryzhkov said. “The Kremlin decides which party can exist and which party cannot. For the first time in post-Soviet history, a wide specter of political forces cannot participate in this election. I call it selection before election.”

Mr. Ryzhkov’s party, the Republican Party, one of the oldest in post-Soviet Russia, was disbanded by the government this year after it was accused of not having enough support under the new rules. Mr. Ryzhkov said his party easily met the standard but said officials ignored the evidence in a sham proceeding.…

In the last parliamentary election, in 2003, half of the 450 seats in the lower house of Parliament, called the Duma, were allocated according to geographic districts, and half were allotted based on party support. (Members of the less powerful upper house, known as the Federation Council, are appointed.)

The 2003 election was also heavily skewed in favor of United Russia, political analysts said, and the party swept to victory.

Even so, liberal and independent lawmakers were able to retain a toehold.

They won a handful of races by mounting grass-roots campaigns in geographic districts, allowing them to form one of the last bastions of opposition to Mr. Putin inside the government. Among the victors were Mr. Ryzhkov, from Siberia, and Mr. Pokhmelkin, from Perm, in the Ural Mountains region in Russia’s center.

After the election, saying that he was responding to several acts of terrorism in Russia, Mr. Putin declared that the government structure needed to be centralized to unify the country. He pushed through legislation that abolished geographic districts in parliamentary elections and did away with elections for regional governors.

In the parliamentary election on Dec. 2, Russians will vote only for parties, not for candidates. What is more, parties now need 7 percent of the national vote to gain seats in Parliament, up from 5 percent. They also need to submit proof that they have at least 50,000 members to be recognized as official parties, up from 10,000.

It now seems possible that United Russia’s advantages are so great that it will be the only party to surpass 7 percent.…

The Times doesn't mention the journalists assassinated, the pro-democracy oligarchs jailed and/or exiled, and the constant harassment of the opposition, although each of these problems has been reported widely in the recent past, including by the Times.

Russians are largely happy. Their economy is strong. There is food on store shelves and goods – including luxury goods – readily available for all to buy.

Putin capitalized on the pain Russians went through after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The reluctance of the US and other Western powers to give needed aide in part is responsible for Russia becoming a totalitarian state, rather than a true democracy.

Also responsible is the Bush Administration which was slow to react to Putin's anti-democracy moves, and the US Congress which, when under Republican control was reluctant to challenge the president on this or on any other issue.

And, yes, Chabad has blame here, too. Its 'chief rabbi' of Russia Berel Lazar time and again covered for Putin's new Stalinism as he argued Putin's case with Western leaders, especially visiting US Congressmen.

The idea behind Lazar's quisling-keit is that, as long as Jews (and, by this he means Chabad) are in Putin's good graces, what happens with larger society doesn't really matter all that much – what is good for the Jews is what's important and what's good for Chabad is what is good for the Jews.

This is a remarkably short-sighted approach. Jews have been safest and most prosperous in true Western democracies; they have suffered most and been far worse off economically in the various totalitarian systems we have lived – and often died – under.

Even in Putin's Russia, while some Jews are very rich, most – the majority – are poor or very poor. But there is a small but growing Jewish middle class made up of small business owners, professionals – and Chabad rabbis.

Chabad rabbis?

By Russian standards Chabad rabbis live well, firmly middle class, not poor.

But how can that be if most Russian Jews – the people these rabbis 'serve' – are poor or on the edge of poverty?

Pro-Putin oligarchs give millions of dollars to Chabad and Lazar. Those dollars support Chabad's programs  – and the rabbis who run them. Those oligarchs give money based largely on Lazar's compliance with Putin's demands, because it is compliance with Putin that allows the money to flow and the oligarchs to remain free.

When the history of these days is written, the missed opportunity of the Soviet Union's collapse will certainly be front and center. Perhaps Chabad's role in this debacle will be, as well.

Comments

[YitzchakS]

By Russian standards Chabad rabbis live well, firmly middle class, not poor.
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Yes, far away from their families, in a strange culture, and having to deal with people who are there only to take advantage of them. All they have is what they need to have a decent and healthy life - nothing to invest, nothing to pass on to their children. Extras, like trips to family simchas, are paid for by grateful supporters whom they have helped with everything from food to connections to medical treatment before they made it big. Those with big houses (usually head shluchim) got them when real estate was dirt cheap, and the houses are full of guests including often crass and unpleasant supporters whom the shaliach needs to cultivate in order to keep being able to feed the hungry, to occasional out and out nutcases (like you, Scotty) who drive them up a wall and then spurn them when the shluchim are unable to cure their mishegoss.

If you had a job, you might also have a firmly middle class life.

[YitzchakS]

As for Russia, the joke will be on the US when it becomes one large Singapore (after the Putin and immediate post-Putin transition period), with economic freedom in most sectors but limited political freedom, and a general atmosphere of success, law and order.

That means no Sharptons, no Michael Lerners, and no Scotties.

For all I know, after the transition some of the seized property of Yukos and other robber barons will be fairly or semi-fairly sold on the open stock exchange to investors of all descriptions. It would not surprise me in the least.

[Garnel Ironheart]

Given Russia's long and dark history and its unsuccessful flirtation with democracy in 1917 and under Yeltsin, I think it's a legitimate question to ask (and I'm just asking, not saying I agree): Can Russia be ruled any other way than as a tyranny?

Remember there are thousands of ethnic groups under Moscow's control, none of whom care a whit about the others. Under Yeltsin huge areas of the former Soviet Union simply picked up and left (Ukraine, the 'Stans, the Baltics, etc). There was economic chaos as a nation full of people used to defending themselves from the state took advantage of its sudden weakness.

Look at China. It's still a dictatorship yet its prospering and growing at a tremendous rate. As the post here note, in Russia there's food on the shelf, political stability and a hope for a future. Which is more important in a country where democracy and prosperity seem to be opposed to each other?

[R]

To Garnel, will you be saying the same when Russian bombs and chemical warfare are rained down on Israel via Iran?
China might be prosperous because there are that many people and western world uses them because it's cheap.
This is a bad thing because China and Russia work together...with North Korea and then ultimately deal with people like Iran.

[Yitzchak S]

Given Russia's long and dark history and its unsuccessful flirtation with democracy in 1917 and under Yeltsin, I think it's a legitimate question to ask (and I'm just asking, not saying I agree): Can Russia be ruled any other way than as a tyranny?
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Semi-tyranny :). The Putin regime is far from tyrannical - it is more like Singapore under Lee Kwan Yew than Syria under the Assad clan. Besides, it is a transition period and the younger generation will demand and get more transparency, but by evolution, not revolution. My present homeland got nowhere with the Orange Revolution and Russia is not going to fall for that.

Look at China. It's still a dictatorship yet its prospering and growing at a tremendous rate. As the post here note, in Russia there's food on the shelf, political stability and a hope for a future. Which is more important in a country where democracy and prosperity seem to be opposed to each other?
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Prosperity. When I was in business in Moscow (I'm in Ukraine now more for personal-Chabad reasons and because costs are lower for what I now do), my employees did not care about what the left calls civil rights. They were busy working and happily getting paid on time and in full, and occasionally getting help from me for medical care, car down payments etc from funds that I had readily available and almost literally in my pocket because I wasn't being taxed to death thanks to the flat tax which Putin initiated. The ones demonstrating (both for and against Putin) were either naive students or paid demonstrators and old drunks with nothing to do.

And if Israel would get off American aid and instead sell its military and civilian ideas to China, India and Russia (with which it has more in common in terms of intelligence and culture), the world would be a better and safer place, and Israel would be more prosperous. Russia is only playing with Iran to show its power. Half of what they sell is defective and the other half is held up because Iran does not pay its bills!

[Garnel Ironheart]

As a democracy or a tyranny, Russia is a natural foe of the west since it sees itself historically as the competitor to whichever country is the superpower in the western world (USA and before them Britain). Russia could be a fully functioning democracy but would still be a thorn in the US side.
The question still stands - if you can't have both, which is more important: food on the table or a ballot?

[Lev]

Shmarya, Yitzchak S.,Garnel Ironheart:
1. There no pro-democracy oligarkhs(Hodorkovsky gave money$$$ to the antisemitic Communists).
2. Chabad, like any other FOREIGHN religious group does not belong in Russia.
Kfar Chabad-yes, Crown Heights-yes,
Russia-NO!
Shmarya, Russians-I mean 120 MILLION ETHNIC RUSSIANS-are not "happy" at all.
You like unconviniet truth in other matters.
Here is one of them:90(NINETY)% of dollar billioners and millioners and ruble billioners are Jews, people with obvious Jewish names.
Ethnic Russians are dying million a year.
How much will it damage future Russian-Jewish relationship-there is no say.Numerously here, under attack from Avrohom guy, we proved enormous corruption of lazar/so-called FEOOOR/shluhim machine.
Lazar has already four awards from the Government.
If his education of any kind would be more than Adoneinu, Moreinu VeRabeinu...
I gave you websites of Russian Patriots, who support Jews and Israel, but want the oligarkhic theft return to the RUSSIAN PEOPLE and do not see nessesity of maintaining of the synagogues in Downtown Moscow, when Lubavitchers are tiny percent from the general population.

[Garnel Ironheart]

Yo Lev,

The problem with the Russian population isn't that 1 000 000 are dying a year. It's that 95% of Russian pregnancies end in abortion. Your people are killing themselves off and once again it's Blame the Jews.

Besides, if you look at Jewish history and how much suffering we've had under the Czars and the Communists, you'll understand if we're less than concerned that certain oligarchs with Jewish-sounding names (is that like kosher-style) have taken so much Russian property.

[Lev]

Garnel Ironheart, this is anonymous website but in order to respond to you, person unfamiliar with Russian history on professional level, I'll just tell you that my last name is SHMOOKLER and my mothers' maiden name is ROYZENGURTEN.
Her father, my zeide o'h was a LEVI