MOSCOW (AP) – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his warring factions are not running September 19 parliamentary elections, however, are hoping to challenge the ruling United Russia party with their approach to Smart Voting.
No opposition from the Kremlin is allowed to run in the by-elections, or in the State Duma. Controlling the commission is seen as an important part of President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to voting for the next President, scheduled for 2024. Putin has been running Russia since 2000.
The Smart Voting method can only offer political demonstrations in an election that has a small game, while a few opponents are allowed to participate in the election.
HOW DOES SMARTT VOTING WORK?
Smart Voting, an idea Navalny came up with in 2018, is an online campaign designed to encourage candidates to have a chance of winning that is supported by the Kremlin and the United Russia party. It does not support any opposition party.
Well-known Navalny expert Leonid Volkov told the Associated Press that Smart Voting is monitoring and evaluating hundreds of meetings and is accommodating about 1,300 people – not only by voting for the State Duma but also by several local elections taking place on the same day.
In the State Duma election, all 450 seats are at risk, and United Russia currently has 334 seats.
Half of the Duma, or 225 seats, is directly elected by the voters. But voters also cast their ballots for the other half of the party, which is based on the party list. There will be 14 parties in the September 19 election, and voters will choose one to send another representative to Duma.
In the second round, Volkov said Smart Voting would recommend selecting a party other than United Russia that would pass the 5% required to win the seat.
HOW DOES IT HAPPEN?
Smart Voting has been used twice in local elections over the past two years, and has proven to be effective. In 2019, it helped dissidents win 20 of the 45 seats on Moscow’s city council, and last year’s by-elections saw United Russia lose most of its legislature in Novosibirsk, Tambov and Tomsk.
Volkov admits Smart Voting has “minor limitations”
“We have won many wars, but we cannot say we are all powerful. … There is a long way to go. So far about 15% -20% of those who have been approved by Smart Voting have won seats in the legislature, “he added.
WHO ARE KREMLIN QUESTIONS?
In recent months, government officials have begun waging war against their allies and Navalny fighters in an effort to suppress Smart Voting.
After recovering from poison by a neurologist last year, Navalny was sentenced to two years in prison for violating a right to a fair trial. He asserted that his confession had been obtained through torture and that his confession had been obtained through torture.
His main allies have been prosecuted, and his Foundation for Fighting Corruption, as well as local office offices, have been banned as dangerous organizations. This has brought hundreds of people who join the groups to be prosecuted. Many of his closest friends have left the country. About 50 websites operated by its organization have been shut down, and many regional offices have been closed.
Officials have moved to block the Smart Voting website, but some internet users can still access it.
Officials have urged Apple and Google to scrap the mobile app developed by the Navalny group to promote Smart Voting, warning them that their failure is interpreted as a threat to Russian elections.
They also demanded that Google and Yandex, Russia’s largest search engine, remove Smart Voting’s search results. So far, the requirements have not been met.
Volkov said the long-running invasion disrupted operations, intimidated his supporters and made it difficult to promote Smart Voting. There were fewer online subscribers on this page this year.
Immediately, however, the mobile app was downloaded already last month, and “this is good,” Volkov said.
HOW DOES IT WORK IN RUSSIAN RULES?
Smart Voting has been criticized by independent candidates and opposition groups for not supporting the Kremlin’s principles. It will really help the elected political parties that often run the Kremlin line.
The Navalny group also claims that Smart Voting does not mean voting for the right person, but simply defeating United Russia and the Kremlin. Volkov said his aim was to undermine and directly oppose a system that, in Putin’s 20 years in power, has already decided who will take office and who will not.
“They have already given offices and positions, they have already established who will be second. “We want the people to know, while all those who will stand by suddenly realize that there are voters, and they have to rely on the voter,” he said.
Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center says Smart Voting is “a tool to help shake up the system that the authorities want to improve.”
Attempts to disrupt the system are “painful” for officials, and “that’s why they take Smart Voting seriously, taking Navalny seriously,” he said.
CAN THE KREMLIN DUMA COUNTRY CHANGE?
Putin expressed hope last month that United Russia would continue to control parliament. Recent polls show, however, that only 27% of Russians are ready to vote for the party.
However, political analysts believe it will be difficult for opponents to use Smart Voting.
“The authorities will do everything in their power to prevent the massacre (approved by Smart Voting), which is why I believe the system will not be used much by the electorate,” said Tatyana Stanovaya, founder of R. Politik, a political activist.
Abbas Gallyamov, a former Kremlin-led political reform activist, said Navalny, with the help of politics and the elite, would not have the opportunity to promote Electronic Voting as in the past.
“You are not voting for the right person; You often vote for someone who is unlovable and intelligent. … One needs to have a strong purpose, one needs someone with the responsibility to motivate them to do this, “Gallyamov said.
However, Gallyamov believes that at least 15% of voters will be able to use Smart Voting.
“The protest, dissatisfaction is there; they didn’t go anywhere,” he said.
Volkov does not give numbers when asked which would be better. More importantly, he said, is that Smart Voting “changes the way politics is run” and undermines the Kremlin’s power, and restores competitive politics and makes voters more valuable.
“While most politicians are starting to think about voters in the upcoming elections or the next political election,” he said.