The 5 Steps to Democracy

Vladimir Ryzhkov in the Moscow Times today picks apart the accusation (leveled most noisily by Vladimir Putin) that the opposition – or as Ryzhkov has dubbed them, ‘the Decembrists 2.0’ – have no clear platform.  On the contrary, he says, the demands outlined by the opposition ‘comprise a coherent program with a clear strategic goal’.  It goes like this:

1) Release all political prisoners (and dismantle the police state).
2) Annul the results of the recent (rigged) parliamentary elections.
3) Dismiss Vladimir Churov (the head of the Central Elections Commission, who continues to play down accusations of election fraud, despite the charges brought this week against 95 people for electoral violations)
4) Ease the registration requirements for political parties.
5) Hold a democratic election in February.