March 13 Election Results in Russia: Reaction against Modernization

         The 13th of March was the common voting day in Russia and 3208 election campaigns and local referendums were held all over the country. It’s clear now that elections were much dirtier than in October, 2010. After an increase in rates for household electricity, gas and other utilities, United Russia's popularity now at its lowest level in more than a year. However, disenchantment with United Russia suppressed turnout, but did not drive voters to support the opposition.  

          The key campaigns contested seats in regional parliaments. These took place in 12 regions, including three republics (Adygea, Dagestan, Komi), two autonomous districts (Chukotka and Khanty-Mansiisk) and seven regions: Kaliningrad, Tver, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Kursk, Tambov and Orenburg. What made the current round of elections particularly important is the fact that they were the last campaign before elections for the State Duma and the subsequent presidential election.

          Voters went to the polls on Sunday amid complaints of numerous violations, including unsanctioned rallies by pro-Kremlin groups, crude measures to block election observers’ views of ballot boxes, attempts to stuff ballots for United Russia, campaigning next to polling stations, transporting of voters, intimidation of voters and others. Irregularities in the voting outside the polling stations were the most widespread. It’s extremely significant that violations became aggressive because it’s impossible now to ensure governing party’s victory by using moderate meddling as it was in former times. Also a governing party started to use a new offensive tactics of mass distribution of messages in Twitter and social networks about alleged violations by oppositional candidates and parties against United Russia and its protégées.It was done in order to gloss over information about serious and real violations against independent and oppositional parties, candidates and domestic observers.

          It’s clear that the regime is not aware of the changed situation in the world. Uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, riots in Bahrain and Yemen (and in Kyrgyzstan last year) resulted in Russia only to rigging elections even dirtier and tightening the screws by the regime more impertinently.