Like the Stalin 1936 constitution of the Soviet Union, infamously touted by his acolytes internationally as the most democratic in the world, that of the Russian Federation boasts that “Man, his rights and freedoms are the supreme value. The recognition, observance and protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen shall be the obligation of the State” .
Tell that to the family of Alexei Navalny. Or to the 20,000 citizens arrested for protesting since the invasion of Ukraine. To the tenants of Siberia’s labour camps. To the tens of thousands of Ukrainians – “Russian citizens”, according to Putin – who have died since the invasion.
Behind its notionally democratic veneer the Russian state today shares the brutal totalitarian ethos and methods of its predecessor, its president, Vladimir Putin, elevated by that same constitution to near tsarist absolute power. And Putin, over the next three days of a sham presidential election, is set is to win a fifth term, allowing him to stay in power until 2030 – and, should he run again, to 2036.
To facilitate his electoral success and a preordained, legitimising turnout of over 70 per cent, Putin has effectively muzzled the press and ensured that the only other candidates on the ballot paper will be three nominees of stooge parties which support the government. Two anti-war candidates, Yekaterina Duntsova and Boris Nadezhdin, were barred from running after the Central Election Commission ruled against nomination signatures needed to win a place on the ballot. In 2006, it also removed the option of voting against election candidates, removing a risk of protest votes.
‘I know what happened in that room’: the full story of the Conor McGregor case
Eating disorders in later life: Some of my peers have had teenage weight levels for decades
Eoin Burke-Kennedy: Is remote working bad for productivity?
David McWilliams: The potential threats to Ireland now come in four guises after Trump’s election
Unverifiable electronic voting in 29 regions, the ballots of some 4.5 million in “freed” Ukraine “encouraged to vote” by armed guards visiting their homes, and a 99-per-cent vote for Putin from regions like Chechnya run by sympathetic ethnic strongmen, even if relatively few show up to vote, will see Putin having little difficulty overtaking the 56 million votes he received in 2018.
Protest appears futile, at best symbolic, the people, successfully cowed. Nothing appears likely to shake the Putin monolith except perhaps the unlikely prospect of defeat in Ukraine.
There are a few brave souls, however, willing to testify in person to the existence of what historian Timothy Garton Ash has called “Another Russia”, as they did in turning out at Navalny’s funeral. The latter’s last act from prison had been a call for a symbolic protest that he called “Noon Against Putin”. His widow Yulia has joined in an appeal to supporters to arrive en masse at polling booths at noon on Sunday to mark their opposition. Whether they succeed or are blocked by the police, their message will be heard. The voice of freedom continues to resonate.