Hi, this is Gleb Kondratyev with our weekly discussion on the political demands of “Vesna.” Today, we’ll talk about electoral reform.
The electoral system in Putin’s Russia is so flawed and designed for manipulation that its reform could be discussed for hours or even days. Today, I’ll highlight the key issues and how to address them.
☑️ Candidate Registration
Under current law, to participate in elections, you must be nominated by one of the parliamentary parties or collect a certain number of certified voter signatures. Since it is nearly impossible for an independent politician to secure party nomination, collecting signatures remains the only way to get on the ballot.
The current signature collection process exists solely to block undesirable candidates from running. Overcoming the signature barrier requires significant financial and human resources, and the hard work of signature collectors can be undone by a “handwriting analysis” used to disqualify them.
To fix this, the excessively strict requirements for signature sheets must be revised, and the number of required signatures reduced. The electoral deposit system should also be reinstated. This method of registration was abolished specifically to complicate the process for candidates not controlled by the authorities.
Candidates with genuine public support would find it easier to raise the required deposit through donations than to collect signatures, especially under the current rules.
☑️ Rights of Observers and Commission Members
To completely eliminate fraud, a strong, nationwide election monitoring movement is needed. Observer rights must be strictly upheld, and the process of obtaining observer status should be as simple as possible.
Every party and civic organization should have the right to send its observers to polling stations. The more observers there are, the harder it will be for officials or dishonest candidates to manipulate results.
Recently, the State Duma abolished the status of commission members with advisory voting rights (PSG). This is a critically important mechanism for public oversight of elections. While PSG members’ rights were already systematically violated, now this vital status has been eliminated entirely. Commission members with advisory voting rights must be reinstated, and their rights fully protected.
☑️ Voting — Only at Polling Stations
In recent years, electronic voting has become the primary tool for election fraud. When opposition candidates began winning en masse at polling stations in Moscow, the authorities resorted to shamelessly fabricating results via electronic voting (DEG).
It is impossible to monitor such voting, and the stark discrepancy between electronic and physical polling results leaves no doubt that electronic voting serves the interests of fraudsters. Therefore, DEG in its current form must be completely abolished.
Control over home voting also needs to be tightened — another major tool for fraud. The only valid reasons for home voting should be illness or disability. Observers should strive to be present at every home voting instance. Cases where an unusually high proportion of voters cast ballots at home should be immediately investigated by higher commissions.
It’s hard to think of any electoral rights of our citizens that haven’t been violated. It’s nearly impossible to run for office if you’ve been convicted of political offenses, such as extremism. Candidates deemed “foreign agents” and the parties they represent are required to print derogatory labels on all campaign materials. The campaigning process itself is overregulated to the extreme. In short, the list of problems with Russian elections is endless.
But we must not give up. Only hard work and a fight for our rights can lead our country to genuine democracy.
