Elections held in 41 regions in Russia for regional governors and lawmakers in regional and city legislatures, as well as by-elections for national MPs. The vote comes a year ahead of parliamentary elections expected to hold in 2021.
Issues to Consider for Russia
- This is the first vote to hold in Russia since the controversial constitutional change that puts Vladimir Putin in power till 2036.
- The ruling party’s popularity is declining amidst public anger and discontent over economic woes exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Alexei Navalny’s team had launched an anti-kremlin campaign tagged ‘smart voting,’ urging Russians to vote for candidates from any party other than United Russia.
- Navalny had been in Siberia to promote the so-called “smart voting” when he was allegedly poisoned by the Russian government. Critics believe the poisoning was a ploy to undermine his campaign.
- The pro-Kremlin United Russia party lost its majorities on the city councils in Novosibirsk and Tomsk, where two Navalny supporters won seats.
- Observers from the independent monitoring group, Golos, reported irregularities as well as obstructions and ballot-stuffing.
- Voting was spread across three days, from 11-13 September, a move described by critics as a ploy to fabricate results. The controversial three-day voting scheme was first tested during the July 1 national vote on constitutional amendments to keep Putin in power until 2036.
What The Numbers Say
United Russia party had its candidates elected as governors in the regions where elections for governor took place. But in Novosibirsk, the URP dropped to 44% on the city council, with 22 seats out of 50. It previously had 33. Sergei Boiko and four other allies of Mr Navalny won seats there, along with nine other independent candidates.
Impacts
Experts hint at Navany’s “smart voting’ campaign as a move to unite all of Putin’s opposition in one place. Ben noble, Lecturer in Russian Politics at the University College, London, thinks it is a way of chipping at the invincibility of the Kremlin.
“If through smart voting Navalny and his team can demonstrate that there is scope for competition, for opposition success, then that might lead to a snowball effect – and that’s something the Kremlin is extremely worried about,” he told Aljazeera.
