Low turnout of citizens at elections. Turnout is above all: how the election rules will change

Illustration copyright Alexander Ryumin/TASS Image caption Ballot boxes remained half empty in most polling stations.

On September 10, residents of 16 regions elected governors - in some regions elections of heads are being held for the first time in the last 15 years. In other regions, deputies to regional and local parliaments were elected. In Moscow, deputies to municipal assemblies were elected. Total campaign different levels took place in 82 regions of Russia.

In 15 of the 16 regions where gubernatorial elections were held, turnout was lower than in the previous similar elections. Exception - Sverdlovsk region, but the difference is expressed in one and a half percent. In 2017, 33.47% voted in the gubernatorial elections, in 2003 - 32.07%.

Even in those regions and republics where governors have not been elected for 14-17 years, voters did not vote very actively.

Residents of Mordovia set a record for activity - 71% of voters voted. Mordovia is famous for its abnormally active voting; the percentage of those who came to the polls is always above the national average. But the number of voters in the elections for the head of the republic now turned out to be lower than in the Duma elections of 2016 and in the previous gubernatorial elections in 2003. In previous years, 83% of voters voted there.

The anti-record was set by voters in Karelia and the Tomsk region - there, according to preliminary data, 23.5% and 22.56% voted, respectively.

On average, the preliminary turnout in the gubernatorial elections in 16 regions on September 10 was 35.39%.

According to preliminary data, there is no chance of an opposition candidate winning in any region; a second round is also not expected anywhere.

“This day was very favorable for our party,” said the leader of United Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. “But the most important thing is still ahead - both for the senior officials of the constituent entities of the federation, that is, the governors who were elected today, and for deputies at various levels."

No appearance required

In Moscow, about one and a half thousand deputies to municipal councils were elected. These elections were important for both the authorities and the opposition, since the nomination of candidates for the election of a candidate for mayor of Moscow in 2018 depends on the signatures of municipal deputies.

Opposition candidates nominated themselves for these elections. To counter them, the Moscow mayor's office decided to hide information about the elections from voters, the Vedomosti newspaper wrote. The Moscow authorities really hardly informed the townspeople about the upcoming elections, correspondents of the BBC Russian Service, the failure of the campaign to inform the townspeople about the elections was also recognized by the Central Election Commission.

As a result, voter turnout municipal elections in Moscow, as of 18:00 capital time, was 12.1%. Local elections traditionally attract little attention, but even at the local level this is a fairly low result. For comparison, more than 21% of voters voted for deputies of the Moscow City Duma in 2014.

“Nobody fought for turnout this time,” Andrei Kolyadin, head of regional programs at the Expert Institute for Social Research (IESI), close to the Kremlin, explained to the BBC. “If previously one of the main principles was pumping up turnout to the maximum level, now At all meetings, conferences, and meetings with the authorities, they said that the main thing is to have as fair elections as possible, without vote theft and falsification.”

In Moscow, the turnout turned out to be too dry, admits Kolyadin. “Probably, the Moscow authorities had plans for everything to go quietly and for their own people to pass, for whom they would calmly vote with the help of mobilization. I don’t know how much this worked out, it all depends on how those 12 percent who came voted,” says the political scientist.

Political scientist, expert of the Committee of Civil Initiatives Alexander Kynev says that an artificial decrease in turnout leads to discrediting the authorities and reduces its legitimacy: “In a normal election campaign, there is no other way to increase turnout other than agitation and intrigue.” The summer-autumn campaign of 2017 showed that “there can be no future with this system,” Kynev noted. According to him, the elections took place according to an inertial scenario; no one wanted to take risks. “The question of changing the rules of the game will inevitably arise,” the political scientist concluded.

This is the last major election before the 2018 presidential campaign. Russians were almost not interested in the previous federal elections for State Duma deputies, and the turnout did not reach 50%.

After this, the Kremlin became concerned about voter turnout at the upcoming presidential elections, and the current campaign was supposed to be a small rehearsal for the presidential elections: the authorities have developed several ways to attract the electorate to the elections, including applications in the Mamba dating service, messages in Internet aggregators, and so on.

Putin himself has not yet announced his plans for 2018, but few doubt his intentions. Russian media they write that the Kremlin would like to turn the elections into a referendum on confidence in Putin. The RBC publication reported that the deputy head of the Kremlin administration for domestic policy, Sergei Kiriyenko, sets the goal of getting 70% of the votes for Putin with a turnout of the same 70%.

“Presidential elections always take place with a higher turnout, and the head of state is treated as the most effective authority,” Kolyadin noted. “It is extremely important that in their desire to serve the territory they do not begin to drive various state employees to the polling stations under pain of execution and death.” In his opinion, the September 10 rehearsal can be considered normal from this point of view.

Election commission employees will be required to engage in door-to-door campaigning. They will persuade citizens to vote in the presidential election. A source in the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation told FederalPress about this. Our agency’s interlocutors in the federal authorities associate such innovations with the fact that the Kremlin fears a low turnout. Details are in the FederalPress article.

Walking among the people

Election commission employees in Russian regions will have a new responsibility. In addition to working at polling stations, they will act as agitators. They will have to convince residents of apartment buildings of the need to vote in the presidential elections, a source in the Central Election Commission told FederalPress.

An election commission employee will have to hand over the invitation sheet personally to each resident of the district assigned to a particular commission.

“We must meet with each resident and hand over a leaflet with an invitation, almost against signature. The work is accountable,” notes the FederalPress source.

Let us note that previously members of PECs and TECs did not have such responsibilities. In previous election campaigns, they delivered invitations to mailboxes, but this was the extent of their campaign functionality. The interlocutor also notes that election commissions will most likely provide training for their employees.

The FederalPress source did not specify whether members of election commissions will be paid for door-to-door visits, but it is known that this year funds have been allocated for their work additional funds, namely 1.9 billion rubles. These are official figures from the CEC.

FederalPress interlocutors in the State Duma are convinced that in this way federal center wants to ensure high turnout, as the Kremlin fears low electoral activity in the presidential elections. Political scientists, in turn, believe that door-to-door campaigning may have an effect in terms of increasing turnout, but it will be insignificant.

“This is a fairly formal moment when people walk around apartments. How they walk, what they say, how convincingly they do it - this is the whole story of the second level, but more significant. The presentation of invitations in itself can be both positive and irritating. But if people are motivated not for formal work, but for real conviction, then this can work,” the head of the Center for Social Design “Platform” noted in a conversation with FederalPress. Alexey Firsov.

Overwhelming turnout

Indeed, no election campaign has ever seen such activity from the Central Election Commission in campaigning with voters. The latest meetings of the Central Election Commission clearly demonstrate this: appropriate visual materials have been prepared. Special attention The Central Election Commission is going to focus on social networks. The body is ready to spend 2.5 million rubles on their monitoring - this is the maximum cost of the contract that the Russian Center for Training in Electoral Technologies under the Central Election Commission (RCT) is ready to pay to the winner of the competition announced in December last year. Such information is posted on the government procurement website.

Political scientists have also noticed the unprecedented activity of the Central Election Commission.

“Yes, the Central Election Commission never had a task for such active work. Pamfilova openly works on information support,” noted the President of the Russian Association of Political Consultants of Russia (RAPK) Alexey Kurtov in an interview with FederalPress.

It is worth recalling that in total the CEC plans to spend 17 billion rubles on the election campaign. This was stated at one of the CEC meetings on December 18 last year by the Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation Nikolay Bulaev.

“Today, the budget of the federal presidential election campaign has changed. 1.9 billion rubles were allocated for the work of election commissions. 770 million rubles have been allocated to inform voters. The federal campaign budget is 17 billion rubles. Of this, precinct election commissions account for 10 billion rubles,” Bulaev said.

Despite billions of rubles invested and new methods of work of members of election commissions, political scientists are skeptical about the upcoming election campaign in terms of ensuring high turnout. The Kremlin does not yet have an element that would motivate people to visit the polling station on a single voting day. Moreover, we're talking about about elections where the winner is known in advance.

“In any case, the effect will be insignificant, since the elections are devoid of intrigue. As one of the tools this might work. But so far no argument has been found that motivates people to vote. He should be found, but he is missing,” said the political scientist and sociologist Alexey Firsov.

Photo: RIA Novosti, Ramil Sitdikov

In the coming 2018, an event is expected in Russia that will determine the fate of the country in the next six years - presidential elections Russian Federation. The official election date is set for March 18, 2018. However, political scientists and experts are already trying to predict the election results, which will affect the economy and political situation in the country. Independent research will help predict not only the outcome of the vote, but also the turnout in the 2018 elections in the regions of Russia.

Over the past ten years, the turnout rate has been on a downward trend. Therefore, it is not difficult for experts to predict the situation. Such indicators allow us to anticipate dynamics that are expected to move in the same direction. The presence of citizens at polling stations on single voting day can be influenced by many factors. Some of these factors are already well known. However, the government is trying to do everything possible to increase turnout.

Overall percentage of voter turnout in Russia

Today, socio-political stability in the Russian Federation is heterogeneous, therefore the average turnout of Russian citizens at polling stations does not reflect the actual activity of the people in different regions states. But these parameters directly affect the outcome of the election of the head of the Russian Federation.

The turnout threshold was abolished back in 2006. Low voter turnout increases the likelihood of speculation and various kinds of provocations.

According to preliminary forecasts regarding the turnout of the electorate on the day of the single vote, compiled by such large and well-known analytical companies as Levada-Center and St. Petersburg Politics, it was possible to compile average voter turnout indicators for the upcoming presidential elections in the Russian Federation. Based on the results of surveys conducted among the population in different regions of the country, it turned out that on voting day 58% of the population plan to come to the polling station. In accordance with the indicators that analysts were able to obtain, citizens’ intentions regarding the upcoming elections were distributed as follows:

30% – perhaps they will come to the polling station on voting day,

20% – while they doubt that they will vote,

19% – they don’t plan to go to the polling station at all on voting day.

It was those citizens who would definitely come to vote and those citizens who might vote that made up that part of the voters who had already decided on their civic position. These are the first two categories of citizens in the list above. The other two categories can be influenced through various mechanisms that may influence their final decision.

From the practice of previous years, analysts have concluded that actual voter turnout is usually lower than predicted voter turnout. This happens because in last moment people who planned to vote, for one reason or another, change their decision, renounce their right to vote and their expression of will.

At the same time, the All-Russian Research Center public opinion gave more optimistic results. As a result of their research, it turned out that approximately 70% of the population with the right to vote would vote for the chosen candidate.

Percentage of voter turnout by regions of Russia

Based on the results of surveys and studies by the same analytical companies, voter turnout in 2018 in the regions of the country became known:

Tyumen and Tuva - almost 100% of the population,

Republic of Dagestan – 99.20% of the population,

Kemerovo region – 99.18% of the population,

Chechen Republic – 95.9% of the population.

Thus, it turned out that maximum amount voters are expected in Tyumen and Tuva. There is also high activity in Yamalo-Nenets District, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Tatarstan.

The turnout will be low in Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Tomsk, Novgorodsk, Kostroma region, Trans-Baikal Territory, where a very small percentage of voters will vote in the presidential elections in 2018.

Also to regions with low percentage turnouts include the Astrakhan region, where only 37.3% of citizens will go to the polling station and St. Petersburg, where 37% of citizens will go to vote. The capital of Russia occupies the very last position in this ranking. In Moscow, only 33.15% of the population will vote, which is the lowest turnout in the 2018 Russian presidential elections among all regions of the country.

Analysts were unable to predict data for Crimea because there was too little information. There was only one federal election campaign in this region - the Duma, which took place in the fall of 2016. This region also did not show any records then. In Crimea, turnout was only 49%.

Of course there is no doubt that this statistic may change. The closer we get to the election date, the more changes are expected in these indicators. The opinion of the population will undoubtedly be influenced by the candidates' election campaign, which has only recently started. Candidates will use different political technologies. Accordingly, citizens who previously did not want to vote in the presidential elections in Russia, closer to the elections, will most likely change their decision and increase the number of voters.

The highest voter turnout rates were recorded in Russia in 1991. Then the turnout in the elections was 77% Russian citizens with voting rights. The lowest figures were in 2004 - 64.4% of citizens took part in the elections. In 2008, the turnout was 70%, in 2012 – 65.3%.

Projected voter turnout rates for 2018 are lower than presidential elections in other countries. For example, during the elections in France (voting in 2 stages), the turnout was 77.8 and 74.5%. In Iran, the turnout was 73%. IN South Korea– 77%. However, there are also lower indicators, for example, during the presidential elections in Serbia the turnout was 54.5%, in Chile - 46.7%, in Slovenia - 44%.

According to expert Dmitry Oreshkin, according to the results of surveys, out of 110 million citizens, only 64 million will come to vote, a quarter of them are people who have already given a positive answer regarding voting, but they do not want to go to the polls. Accordingly, they need to be subtracted from 64 million, but added to this number 12 million people who will be among those who voted, as “drawn”. Thus, according to the expert’s calculations, 60 million Russians (55-60%) will attend the elections and the expert sees no reason to exceed this threshold. After all, the main reason for such low parameters is the lack of intrigue, as many political strategists believe: “The Crimea syndrome is already ending, the feeling of uncertainty is increasing, the material level is decreasing. All this reduces the willingness of citizens to go to the polls.”

According to expert Dmitry Badovsky, more realistic indicators can be measured no earlier than February, because by this time the category of citizens who will definitely vote will exceed 40%: “The overall projected turnout will rise to 57-60%, but you need to understand that before There is still time left for the end of the campaign.”

The Kremlin is today concerned about such low indicators in a number of regions identified as a result of surveys conducted by analytical companies. Therefore, the authorities seriously thought about what technologies to choose and what approach should be taken to the population in order to increase the number of people willing to take part in future fate countries.

Opinions of politicians and experts on low turnout

Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov commented on the results of surveys by analytical companies. He said that the Kremlin does not intend to evaluate the work of regional heads by the level of turnout in the presidential elections: “That would be unlawful and incorrect. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation is responsible for informing citizens in the regions about the importance of each vote.”

Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Sergei Kiriyenko, who oversees domestic policy issues, gave the heads of regions a strict instruction - to avoid “cheating” votes and related quarrels and scandals.

Increasing turnout should occur without using administrative resources. At the end of autumn 2017, all vice-governors responsible for domestic policy in the regions, were collected at a seminar in Moscow. There they were given a task - on March 18, 2018, they must create the most festive mood possible. People should be attracted through various types of events: sports, cultural, and so on. During the events, surveys of residents about the fate of their regions must be conducted.

According to the head of the expert group, Konstantin Kalachev, the turnout should be maximum. This can be achieved in different ways. There are regions where all events are held as a holiday and folk festival, where elections are a form of leisure for the people, and participation in cultural events- This is a mandatory tradition.

Some regional heads took these guidelines literally. Thus, in the Komi Republic they wanted to hold a local referendum on March 18 on moving the capital from Syktyvkar to Ukhta. In Sevastopol, they planned to hold a referendum on the choice of the flag and coat of arms of the city. However, during the process of collecting signatures, these options were rejected. Only one referendum was approved in the Volgograd region, where residents will decide on the issue of moving local time forward 1 hour ( Volgograd region located in the same time zone as Moscow).

As for the intrigue, today the Central Election Commission was notified of the desire to participate by 33 candidates, of which 15 are self-nominated. Of these, 11 people were rejected for one reason or another. In the meantime, only Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who managed to submit documents to the CEC first, was registered. He submitted the documents on December 22. The party has already transferred 200 million rubles to his fund. Maximum amount is 400 million rubles, of which only 10% can be transferred by the candidate independently. The party that nominated the candidate can contribute a maximum of 50% of the limit. Voluntary transfers by Russians can reach a maximum of only 1.5%, and voluntary donations legal entities – 7%.

How the authorities will raise voter turnout rates

It is possible that the authorities of regions where low rates have been identified today will take appropriate measures to ensure high voter turnout. For example, various technologies may be introduced. This includes conducting explanatory activities, the purpose of which is to convey to citizens the importance of the upcoming event and the social activity of each citizen. A friendly, festive atmosphere must be ensured at polling stations. Will be held preparatory activities to increase the number of citizens' turnout. For example, some of the people who did not vote will be technically eliminated by a detailed study of the lists at polling stations. That is, those who went abroad, those who recently changed their citizenship, those who died and other citizens not registered at these addresses will be excluded. In other words, the lists " dead souls" In some regions of the country their number reaches 10% of voters.

Extending the duration of the work of the precinct commission by twenty days may also contribute to more active voting. In 2018, precinct commissions will work for 30 days, which will allow for the full targeted distribution of invitations, as well as including all clarifications in the preliminary lists.

Calls for protest and boycott created by opposition members can also affect voter turnout rates. Due to strong pressure and the imposition of someone else's political will, Russian citizens may listen and refuse to express their will on voting day. These calls may lead to some of the citizens giving up their own right to vote, and without realizing it, entrusting their future to people who lack the trust of the electorate.

But be that as it may, the greater the turnout and the percentage of voters on the single voting day, the larger number citizens will show their social activity. Therefore, preliminary data are very eloquent in terms of public consciousness and political interest of citizens in the future of their country.

Measures to increase voter turnout

In 2017, the government took some measures aimed at increasing the turnout of citizens at polling stations on voting day, March 18, 2018.

This includes an amendment to the law “On the elections of the President of the Russian Federation”. The main change is the absence of absentee ballots. This means that a person can vote in any polling station, regardless of whether he is registered at this address or simply lives. The “mobile voter” system is aimed at increasing turnout due to convenience for citizens. Now, in order to vote at the nearest polling station, a citizen must simply submit an application through State Services.

To increase the percentage of citizen turnout, measures have also been taken regarding people vacationing or living abroad. Today, millions of Russian citizens live outside the Russian Federation and also have the right to vote. The Central Election Commission of Russia will increase the turnout of citizens abroad due to the arrival of the election commission to places of increased activity of Russians. For example, the CEC will send representatives of participating candidates for the post of head of state to polling stations in other countries. But there are some nuances here too. Many Russians staying outside Russia are in small populated areas and not everyone has the opportunity to come to Big City in order to vote. To solve this problem, the CEC will send employees to areas populated by Russian citizens so that they can vote. In this way, more votes can be collected, which will significantly affect the voting result.

In 2018, the Central Election Commission plans to attract several million Russians permanently or temporarily staying outside Russia to participate in the presidential elections. In total, it is planned to open 360 polling stations abroad. In this case, voting is also possible without absentee ballots.

Experts believe that due to the cancellation absentee ballots, voter turnout will be increased by five million. On last elections head of state in 2012, 1,600,046 Russians voted using absentee ballots. This is a small indicator, however, many Russians would like to vote, but were not at their place of permanent registration that day. Many citizens do not want to deal with absentee ballots at all, because in order to receive them, you need to spend a lot of time. Simplification of “paper” issues will directly affect the increase in voter turnout in 2018.

Measures have also been taken to ensure fair elections. Polling stations will be equipped with video cameras, and processes taking place at polling stations can be monitored online.

September 17th, 2016

About the upcoming elections.

To be honest, I thought after 25 years of playing “democracy”, citizens should have already understood what bourgeois parliamentarism is. But no. And ’93, and ’96, and even the very recent 2011 taught few people anything. Unfortunately, there are still a large number of people who sincerely believe that elections can influence something. Well, or at least, if not influenced, then avoid the terrible Maidan. And this weekend the next flock of sheep will go “to choose the lesser of two evils.”

The very posing of the question of “the lesser evil” suggests that there is nothing to choose from. Today there is not a single party that would represent the interests of the majority of the population, that is, the proletariat. Communist Party of the Russian Federation? Do not make me laugh. Their program says “support for small and medium-sized businesses” - it’s clear whose interests they will protect. True, it is not customary for us to read programs. Most of those who will go to the polls have not read any programs. Since the time of Yeltsin, we have been voting with our hearts.

First of all, I would like to remind such citizens that after the dispersal by tanks Supreme Council in 1993, our republic became presidential. Note that this was done without any voting. On the contrary, they dispersed the legally elected body of power. Under current legislation, the State Duma is a purely decorative organization created to imitate “democracy”. She has no real powers. The president can dissolve it altogether.

But let’s assume that in some unknown way the Duma can influence something. What is the mechanism of functioning of the bourgeois parliament today? To begin with, the sheep who go to choose something there are asked to vote... not even for specific people, but for parties, which will then decide for themselves who will get into the Duma according to the party lists. Rams not only cannot influence the formation of these lists, but also do not have any leverage over those who are included in these lists. Let’s say the party “For All Good” promised a lot of all sorts of goodies. The sheep went to vote for her and... this is where the role of the sheep ended. Next, the party sells places on the list to some shady individuals with criminal records, businessmen, mistresses of businessmen, friends of friends, after which this whole cesspool simply puts money on all the election promises and begins to stupidly profit from the deputy status. Is it possible for the ram to influence this? Well, recall, for example, the mistress of a businessman who has never even appeared at meetings? There is no possibility. For 5 years, the ram gave carte blanche to such gentlemen to do whatever they wanted without any control from the ram.

But in 5 years they won’t vote for them if they behave badly!- the rams will object. I would immediately like to ask the question: how many state deputies? Can such gentlemen at least name the Duma by last name? Will there be 20 people? No? And there are actually 450 of them there! It’s just that each party has “locomotives” that sell shit on posters. All sorts of Zyuganovs, Zhirinovskys, Mironovs, Gryzlovs and other trash. All the rest go through the lists and no one knows them, unless they themselves are specifically highlighted. So in 5 years the sheep will go and vote in the same way. The system is working. Even their faces do not change for 20 years, but the citizens still walk.

And the Maidan! There will be a Maidan if you don’t go to the polls!- Well, this is schizophrenia in its purest form. In Ukraine, the Maidan happened because of low turnout or what? Or did Yanukovych not win the elections? It turns out that the sheep went and elected Yanukovych, but the Maidan still happened?! What meanness!

But if I don’t go to the polls, my vote will be stolen and attributed to United Russia!!!- the rams will object again. It is not clear what, with this logic, prevents you from attributing a vote, even if the ram comes. Observers? There are not enough observers to double-check all voting results in all precincts. But even if it were enough, the data from the PECs goes to the TEC, and then to the CEC. Moreover, in in electronic format. At each stage, you can assign any numbers and it will be impossible to verify this, simply because to verify it you will have to carry out parallel calculations. All parties taken together stupidly have fewer members than the number of people needed for a parallel count. Therefore, you have to trust the official system. So, if the official system cheats, then turnout/non-appearance at the elections will not affect this in any way. Just as it didn’t influence in ’96 and in 2011.

Finally, comrades, understand that the bourgeois will not simply give up his power to anyone (especially through elections). He will not give up his privileges. For this he has power, money, and, if necessary, force. Remember Spain, remember Chile, remember the aforementioned 1993. If capital feels a real threat to its power, it will stop at nothing to eliminate this threat. Even at the everyday level this is understandable. Try to take away the illegal connection to the oil pipeline from the bandits. They will immediately shoot you in the head without talking. But for our ruling class, our entire country is one continuous illegal insertion into the Soviet legacy. There's so much money floating around there that these gentlemen civil war They’ll arrange it and they’ll drag in the interventionists without a second thought, just to stay at the trough. There is already such an example in our history. Do you think anything has fundamentally changed since then? Well, read the letter from 13. That's exactly what it's about.

In the end, what do we have? There is no one to choose from, it is impossible to control those chosen, and the elections themselves do not affect anything. In such a situation, the most reasonable option is to fail to show up at the elections, which will be tantamount to canceling the “against all” column.

Why do the authorities need to appear?

Here some comrades suggest that you still go to the polls, but not vote, but, for example, take away the ballot or somehow spoil it so that the ballot is declared invalid. A very common point of view, by the way.

What is the disadvantage similar method and why is it better not to just go to the polls? The disadvantage is very simple - it is an increase in turnout. In general, what the authorities need from you is not so much a vote for United Russia, but that you come to the polls at all. Yesterday our President issued a call to go and vote. Banners with similar calls are hung throughout the city. They strained all the security guards to write about the elections. For what? Why do they need to show up? After all, when the turnout is low, you need to do less stuffing in order to tilt the result in the right direction. Moreover, they themselves abolished the turnout threshold. It would seem that send state employees to the elections, and let the rest sit at home - they won’t spoil the results. But no. On the contrary, they are going to introduce administrative liability for failure to appear at elections. Why?

Well, firstly, the government needs legitimacy in the eyes of the population. Many comrades underestimate this concept. And they do it in vain. Legitimacy is generally the basis of any power. If citizens massively consider the government illegitimate, then the stability of such power is greatly reduced. Imagine that neither you, nor your neighbors, nor work colleagues, nor relatives went to the polls. And they did this not because they needed to grill kebabs at the dacha, but deliberately. How will you feel about the elected authorities? Negative to say the least. This is not your power, you did not choose it and you do not owe it anything. A bunch of thieves choose themselves. And this is the opinion in every kitchen.

Now imagine that not only ordinary citizens, but also employees are starting to think this way security forces. Will riot police disperse the crowd if they consider the authorities illegitimate? Will the intelligence services be especially persistent in identifying and eliminating activists? Will the army side with such a government when not a single soldier voted for it? As practice shows, no. In 1991, no one stood up to defend the Soviet system, since its legitimacy was completely undermined during the years of perestroika. In the same way, no one stood up to defend the king in the 17th - citizens stopped considering him their king long before his abdication. And even in Ukraine after the coup of 14, a significant part of the population of Crimea and the South-East did not consider the new government legitimate. This is what allowed the Russian Federation to raise an uprising there and take Crimea. South-East was eventually abandoned, but that's another story.

Please note: the citizens who overthrew Yanukovych immediately became concerned about holding elections. The question is - why? They have already taken power. And for some reason, Yeltsin, after the shooting of the Supreme Soviet, instantly muddied the elections to the newly created Federal Assembly. Do they all have nothing to do? Yes, they just need legitimacy. So that citizens recognize them. Now for this it is enough to put ballots in ballot boxes. The ritual is like this. Allows people to feel some kind of involvement in what is happening. It’s like we didn’t decide everything for you, but rather together.

Thus, if you go to the polls, then you agree with the current system. Exactly with the system. You may not agree with a particular party. You may not agree with everyone at all and choose the “lesser of evils.” But nevertheless, you approve of the election system as a way to legitimize power. You are taking part in this. It doesn’t matter for what reasons, but you accept it. Increase the final turnout.

This was all “first of all.” Now secondly. The authorities need legitimacy in the eyes of the “world community.” Our “Western partners” will definitely take the opportunity to rock the boat from the outside if it suddenly turns out that Vladimir Vladimirovich was chosen by 12% of the population. Even if out of these 12%, 100% will be for Putin. The same is true with parliamentary elections. The party in power is the party of the president. An illegitimate parliament also casts a shadow on the legitimacy of the president. And we actually have a tough confrontation with the West. We need to demonstrate the unity of the Russian people against the adversaries! That's why it's all about the elections! Let's rally around the thieves and oligarchs to spite the State Department! - this is exactly what the Kremlin propagandists are calling us to do. This is the second reason why they need our presence.

Conscious communists, of course, should not bring such joy to the existing anti-people system. Let them choose themselves. They chase state employees, arrange carousels, stuffing, etc. The sooner citizens become disillusioned with bourgeois parliamentarism, the better. 25 years turned out to be not enough, but there is still hope for recovery. We'll see how the disease progresses in a couple of days.