Ivan Bolshakov on the results of the “All-Russia vote” on Vladimir Putin’s constitutional amendments

Facebook post by Ivan Bolshakov, 2.07.2020

A miracle has not happened and could not happen. Certainly, the results announced by the Central Electoral Commission have nothing to do with reality. The “All-Russian voting” was reduced to an absurd post-modern show humiliating voters. Persistent campaigning calling voters to come to polling stations in the situation of COVID epidemic became a marker of cynicism and moral “nullification” of the government in the eyes of millions of Russian citizens.

Instead of a Constitution, the society was imposed on an illegitimate document destroying the institution of the change of power and legalising a dictatorship in Russia, with one person having unlimited power. No matter how the apologists of the regime assure us of their concern for stability and sovereignty, this road leads to the collapse and chaos that will follow Putin’s demise.

I respect those who tried to oppose the constitutional coup by voting “against” – everyone expresses a protest as one can and as one sees fit. However, respect does not negate critical debate.

There could be no practical result either during the boycott or during the voting “no”. There is no other way in the situation of plebiscite authoritarianism. It is naive to think that the authorities could write down a smaller turnout or a larger percentage of the votes against than they had originally intended to count. The Kremlin determined the figures in advance and repeatedly announced for the public through polls, forecasts and exit polls of the [pro-government] the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM). The opposition could have taken a moral and strategic stance for the future – not to participate in disgrace, if there is no a slightest guarantee for an alternative outcome.

Could there be an alternative outcome for a plebiscite on the anschluss of Austria with Germany, a referendum on the annexation of Crimea by Russia, a referendum on the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic, or a referendum on canceling Lukashenko’s presidential terms? Could voters overturn these polls? In those conditions and in those procedures – they could not. Because these were not referenda at all, but political scams. The same as the “All-Russian vote” on the amendment of the Constitution. The opposition could have said so our loud. Now it will be somewhat more difficult to say that. And yet – high expectations lead to more disappointment, which we see from the annoyed comments of those who called dissent to the polls.

Nevertheless, both those (calling for a boycott) and others (voting “no”) did important work – they spoke with the society about the “nullification”, and Yabloko in addition talked about an alternative. Not everyone heard that. Not everyone understood. But they will still hear and understand sooner or later.

Life and politics do not end on July 1. Putin has nullified himself, but not us. We have a lot of work ahead. What can we do in the near future? To resist the fact that a multi-day voting, voting points in courtyards and buses, observation through the [pro-government] Public Chamber did not become an integral part of the election process. And fight for the victory of alternative candidates in the election with the same perseverance with which we argued about the boycott and the vote against. The elections are coming soon (in September), and the elections to the State Duma are not far off. There are still possibilities for debate, campaigning “for” and “against” and independent monitoring in the elections, and, therefore, the chances for a different result.

Source

 Ivan Bolshakov

Is Deputy Chair of the Yabloko party. Political analyst. Member of the Russian Association of Political Science. Head of the Analytical Department of Yabloko.