A single day of voting was held in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Photo: REUTERS
A round table of the Institute of Social Research Experts on the topic: “Single Vote Day 2023: Results” was held today at the international multimedia press center of the Russia Media Group.
The first deputy chairman of the commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for public consideration of draft laws, Alexander Asafov, and the first deputy chairman of the Coordination Council for Public Control of Voting of the OP of the Russian Federation, Alexander Malkovich. , Deputy Chairman of the Information Policy Committee of the State Duma Oleg Matveychev and General Director of the consulting group “Polilog” Oleg Karpilov, political strategist Petr Bystrov and member of the board of directors of the Cantiere laboratory (Italy) Pasquale Salatino, director of the “Prussian Society of Berlin-Brandenburg” (Germany) Volker Friedrich Karl Chapke and member of the Council of the President of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society and human rights Alexander Brod.
The moderator of the debate was the director of the Center for Political Analysis, Pavel Danilin.
In the Unified State Duma of Russia, gubernatorial elections were held in 21 regions, legislative assemblies in 20 entities, and by-elections to the State Duma in four. This year’s election campaign had striking distinctive features: scale, little conflict, high party turnout.
The participants discussed the following questions: have the forecasts of leading Russian sociologists been fulfilled? Which regions faced the electoral race in a more creative way? Is the country’s internal political system ready for the 2024 presidential campaign?
THE LEFT HAS RETRACTED
Oleg Matveychev spoke about the impressive election results:
– Elections were held in 85 of the 89 Russian regions. They affected a large number of Russian voters. Direct gubernatorial elections were held in 21 regions and legislative assemblies in 20 regions. 43% is the highest participation since 2017. 85 thousand people presented their candidacies. The candidates represented a couple dozen political parties. There were 12 thousand self-proclaimed candidates. The competition was high. Everywhere between 4 and 5 candidates were put forward for the position of head of the region. And the main winner of these elections is United Russia. All of their candidates have scores above 70% across the board.
Another winner was the LDPR party, although many political scientists predicted the death of this party. “New People” achieved a good result. The Revolutionary Socialists and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation suffer continuous losses. The consensus around SVO in society is not disintegrating. And this is the main result of the elections.
NEW PRAGMATISM
Alexander Asafov spoke about the election atmosphere:
– It is of fundamental importance that these elections have been developed in a calm and functional manner. Each electoral campaign has its own innovations. For example, Moscow is the first to draw attention. Then it became clear that remote electronic voting is already stable as an electronic norm: many people have become accustomed to it. The 43% turnout showed a big increase from the same election in 2018, when turnout was around 39%. The increase in voting for State Duma deputies was even greater.
Overall, DEG is the most convenient and secure way to vote. Requests for the possibility of electronic voting were submitted from 35 regions, the CEC responded to 25 requests, based on the preparation of the subjects. And with that provision, the number of regions will grow every year. Furthermore, in Moscow, for example, the possibility of voting on paper will continue to exist, as long as there is demand.
NEW HEROISM
Alexander Malkevich spoke about the determination of voters and the heroism of members of electoral commissions in the new regions of Russia:
– I was in the four new constituent entities of the Russian Federation. I spoke with many representatives of the electoral commissions. The first thing that pleasantly surprised us was the high participation in our four new regions. This high level of participation is understandable: these are the first elections in Russia and people showed enormous interest in them, despite threats from kyiv and pressure from the West. Up to 77% share in the Donetsk People’s Republic. People wanted to express their support for the very fact of joining the Russian Federation. People have told me that they long for peace and want to participate in as many rituals associated with peace as possible. That’s why people went to the elections as if they were celebrating. It had been a long time since I had seen so much light with so much load. The residents said: we want to be part of Russia and we are proud to be Russians. And there was a great electoral campaign. And all five parties participated in the parliamentary elections. People have seen their orders accepted and how much has been done since March 2022, and I see these changes with my own eyes. I would like to highlight the heroism of the public observers. And here they trained front-line observers on the left bank of the Dnieper and mastered the basics of first aid.
BERLIN CALLER
Friedrich Karl Chapke was surprised by the enthusiasm of voters in the new regions:
– It was important for me to visit new territories and join the celebration of the citizens of the Kherson, Zaporozhye and Donbass regions. This was my tenth mission to Russia as an international expert. And now I was lucky enough to compare the electoral process in new territories, and I can only express words of joy. In Germany we have not yet reached this level of democracy. I want to emphasize that I was able to share their joy with the citizens of the Donetsk republics: they were able to come with their families and determine their future. Russia gave them hope. People of all ages were able to touch these elections.
People ask me why I decided to come here. I love Russia. Yes, we are not experiencing the best relationships now, but our historical relationships can still be traced. And I would like to inform my fellow citizens about the high level of the elections in Russia.
ITALIAN ACCENT
Pasquale Salatino confirmed that the difference between what they say in the West about the Russian elections and what he personally saw is fundamental:
– I was able to compare what I saw in the new Russian territories with the information that is spread in the West. In Lugansk I observed the transparency of the electoral process. When I return home I will tell you that the elections were held in an open and democratic manner. This is contrary to what is burning in Western countries. I spoke with other fellow observers from other states who also followed the voting process. And they convey the same reality that I myself saw. And this reality contradicts what the European media has been transmitting to us for a year and a half. Were you afraid to come here in this situation? No, I wasn’t afraid. As a free person I choose where to go and what to observe, and the only thing I was afraid of was my children’s reaction. But they approved my attendance at the elections in Russia.
