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Russia converting Fascism :(
The Cabl3 Guy
Elite Ranger
in Zocalo v2.0
[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=574&e=9&u=/nm/20041029/wl_nm/russia_regions_dc_1[/url]
looks like the terrorists are winning. :mad:
looks like the terrorists are winning. :mad:
Comments
No surprises there, given the fact that there never really has been anything remotely resembling democracy in Russia; the end of the Soviet Union hasn't changed that at all, as the governments of most of the countries created from its ashes have been just as corrupt and inept. What's really ironic is that the Communists are whining about this, since this is similar to what they did to maintain control when they were in power.
Elections in Russia have hardly been smooth and free since the fall of Communism (when there were no elections at all); there's a lot of strong-arming by people in power, whether it be government or mafia. With the right person selecting governors, ensuring that the process doesn't get too caught up in petty squabbles and bickering, and installing people who are less likely to take bribes, this could actually be a first step towards instating [i]real[/i] elections some years down the line.
That might be how Putin sees it.
But it's not the right way to do things. Absolute power has this nasty tendency to stick around long past the expiration date.
You have to understand that regardless of this change, people's impact on policy-making of their country is severely limited.
Option 1 (pre-change) - The majority of the population has no say in what's going on because the vast majority of regional leader elections are rigged.
Option 2 (post-change) - The majority population still has no say in what's going on because all regional leaders are appointed by Putin. But at least with option 2, given that there's a centralized force behind choosing who the governor should be, there is a better chance to drive changes/improvements for the locals.
So... bottom line... any election process that truly matters will be rigged. It seems that "Western media" (I think you know what I mean) likes to focus on second- and third-world country elections as an example of how bad things are elsewhere in the world, and how great things are in a democracy.
In my opinion, this is simply a diversion, keeping people from realizing how corrupt their own governments and election processes are (yes, including the US of A). Just look at y2k elections as a perfect example.
1) There were significant irregularities in the process of vote counting that favored the Republicans in certain critical swing states that shall not be named.
2) Even though over 50% of the nation voted to elect Al Gore, Bush was still the one who came to power.
3) Electoral college is such a foolish idea... in the beginning it worked well because the idea then was that it'd be comprised of people of considerable intelligence who could override the stupid votes of the many, if necessary. In the early days, there were no President/Vice President tickets. Many people ran for president. The top pick would get to be it, with the runner-up being the VP. This insured that America was governed by the most capable people available at the time. But now Electoral college has become a joke, simply another partizan tool that serves no purpose. It should be done away with.
So yes, I'm incredibly cynical about the election process -- I think that democracy in its current form, in America, has very obvious limitations. We need to do better. Now with that said, I am still a citizen, and I am going to vote, even though I have no illusions about who really gets to make the decision (and it's definitely not me).
[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/041029/photos_wl/mdf740064[/url]