Five Myths About Russia’s Election

Robert Coalson at RFE/RL writes about the five myths of Russia’s elections: 1) President Vladimir Putin is popular, 2) Parties matter, 3) Issues matter, 4) Election rules matter, and 5) Election results will reflect the public will. Coalson writes “The Russian legislative elections will produce a “landslide,” but it will be no more meaningful than similar landslides that are produced in other controlled political systems, such as those in most Central Asian countries. Unified Russia’s victory will be a victory for Putin and his circle. But it won’t be anything more than that.”