Elections of the future

Political scientist Grigory Golosov in the publication "Cold" writes :

“Conducting free elections, most likely, will not become a priority at the initial stage of liberalization or even democratization in Russia. However, it is not worth excluding this option, even if not optimal. Therefore, now we must think about what rules these elections should be held.

I immediately emphasize that while maintaining the current political conditions to correct Russian elections by improving the rules it is pointless. These elections are held mainly to preserve power for those who already have it; To some extent, in order to ensure the rotation of deputies when the authorities find it appropriate. The role of elections as a platform that opens up opportunities for the opposition is almost reduced to zero.

Naturally, in the context of political changes, the elections will be called upon to fulfill their main role - to ensure the change of power in such a way that the preferences of the people are maximally taken into account. What these preferences will be, we do not know now. They will be formed by the same political process that will make free elections a real opportunity.

Much depends on the players involved in this process and their resources. But if the preferences of the people are not taken into account, then he will form a feeling of deep disappointment with the results of the elections. So it was after the 1996 presidential elections, honest in comparison with what happened in the zero and tenths, but the country's citizens who were remembered as a deception. Already in the medium term, this caused tremendous damage to the case of democratization in Russia. Indeed, at an intuitive level, even the most far from politics, citizens share that basic position of liberal-democratic theory that if the power does not change with their duties as a result of the elections, then something is wrong with democracy. ”