|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
A Dull and Boring Show
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Race
|
| Contributor | Ralphie |
| Last Edited | Ralphie Mar 02, 2008 02:04pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | Opinion |
| News Date | Sunday, March 2, 2008 08:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By Vladimir Ryzhkov
Every so often in life we come up against situations where we have to do something unpleasant and boring but necessary. Men's daily ritual of shaving is a good example.
For many authoritarian regimes, an equally burdensome but unavoidable chore is holding elections. These are boring, embarrassing, unpleasant and pointless affairs, but they still must be staged from time to time to provide an outward appearance of legitimacy -- even if it is clear to everyone that they are, in reality, a complete sham.
Another goal of these elections is to provide an ironclad guarantee that power will remain in the hands of the ruling elite. In this way, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Uzbek President Islam Karimov and the Aliyev family in Azerbaijan, to name a few, periodically prolong their terms in office. Sadly, modern Russia has joined their dishonorable ranks.
The widespread, popular myth is that President Vladimir Putin has abided by the Constitution by stepping down from office and holding an election. Just the opposite is true: Sunday's vote was the latest, and most significant, chapter in a whole series of actions taken by the Kremlin to eliminate free and fair elections in the country. |
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
