- By Andy Heil
Nothing Subtle About 'Get-Out-The-Vote' Ad, Or Other Heavy-Handed Tactics
Cast your ballot or find a gay man in your bed -- that's the message of a viral video urging people to vote in Russia's presidential election.
But there are many ways pressure is being applied to boost turnout amid opposition calls to stay home on polling day. Our Russian Service and Current Time TV looked at some of them, and talked with opposition commentator Oleg Kashin about the tactics -- and whether they bear the Kremlin's fingerprints.
- By Andy Heil
Supreme Court Definitively Nixes Stillborn Challenge Of Putin Candidacy
Candidate Sobchak was appealing the previous court's dismissal on February 16.
Critics who regard Sobchak's campaign as a Kremlin ploy from the start had pointed out that there was no realistic hope of this challenge succeeding.
From TASS:
MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. Russia's Supreme Court has rejected Ksenia Sobchak's appeal against the decision to recognize Vladimir Putin's registration as a presidential candidate as lawful on Monday.
"To dismiss Sobchak's complaint and leave the first-instance court's decision unchanged," the judge announced the ruling.
- By Mike Eckel
A Pivotal Moment For Millennials?
L.A. Times Moscow correspondent Sabra Ayres takes a deep dive into the question of Russia’s youngest voters, most of whom have grown up knowing only one leader, Vladimir Putin.
“The next six years under Putin could be when millennials develop their political voice -- whispers of which can be heard already in rap lyrics and in the demonstrations organized by opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Alternatively, Russia’s autocratic government could continue to tamp down youthful restlessness.”
- By Mike Eckel
How Much Does It Take To Run A Campaign In Russia?
The Central Election Commission has updated figures on the eight presidential candidates and their campaign organizations' spending so far.
Given the way Russia’s elections are conducted, it’s not a perfect gauge of how, where, and when candidates are actually campaigning. But it does provide some insight.
The campaign organization for Vladimir Putin, the incumbent who is widely expected to dominate the March 18 vote, has spent more than 196 million rubles ($3.5 million), mainly on things like gathering signatures for registration, printing campaign materials, and buying radio and TV spots. (Putin is running unaffiliated with any political party this year; in the past, his party has been United Russia.)
Putin’s expenditures have been exceeded by the perennial firebrand candidate Vladimir Zhirinovsky, whose nationalist Liberal Democratic Party has spent nearly 210 million rubles ($3.7 million).
The Communists, meanwhile, have dropped about 150 million rubles ($2.7 million) for their candidate, Pavel Grudnin.
To be sure, the expenditure reports don’t capture other, unofficial campaigning, such as the lavish coverage that Putin receives, almost daily, from state-run TV, and many other media.
Doctors Told To Vote At Hospital Or Else...
Our Current Time TV colleagues report that doctors at a hospital in Leningrad Oblast are being urged to bring their relatives to vote at an on-site polling station.
If they don't, staff can expect a "persuasive and convincing talk with the head of the personnel department," according to a leaflet making the rounds at the hospital.
- By Carl Schreck
Aeroflot Getting Into Election Season
State-controlled airline Aeroflot is reminding visitors to its website (the Russian-language version) that they can vote even if they're away from the polling station where they're registered. It encourages people to search the government database for "a polling station convenient for you."
The Kremlin is said to be looking to secure a high turnout in the election in what analysts see as a bid to demonstrate a broad mandate for President Putin in his all-but-guaranteed reelection.
Here's an English version of the "Russian voters" report that our Current Time TV colleagues did and we flagged previously in Russian. They asked folks from various places and walks of life why they like the candidates they're going to vote for (or can't vote for, in Navalny's case).
Navalny Briefly Detained, Could Be Jailed Ahead Of Russian Election
By RFE/RL
Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says he was briefly detained by police and accused of an administrative offense that could result in a 30-day jail term.
Navalny and a senior ally, Leonid Volkov, were both detained separately on February 22, weeks before a presidential election in which Navalny has been barred from challenging incumbent President Vladimir Putin.
The developments raised the prospect that Navalny and Volkov could be in jail during the March 18 election, which the vocal Putin foe is calling on Russians to boycott.
Navalny tweeted that he had gone to the dentist because "my tooth hurt," and that police approached him as he was leaving the dentist's office and told him, "You're detained."
READ MORE
Authorities in Yekaterinburg seized all copies of a newspaper titled "Путинская правда" campaigning against Putin’s presidential candidacy.
Here's the Current Time TV article in Russian. There's a video report coming soon. Watch this space.