Signed

After some thought, today I signed in support of Mikhail Prokhorov’s candidacy for the presidency. One of the two million that he must collect according to current Russian legislation.

Does it follow from this that I consider the upcoming “electoral events” to be fair elections? No, you shouldn't. I still believe that on March 4, as well as on December 4, we will face an inherently farcical procedure. This can already be said now, when presidential candidates “particularly objectionable” to the authorities were cut off from participating in the election campaign at the earliest stage - at the stage of registration of initiative groups for their nomination. And, I am sure that not all of those who remain will overcome the stage of collecting signatures - simply because, if necessary, the Churovsky Central Election Commission, fulfilling the will of the Kremlin, will find a way to “reject”, “invalidate” such a number of signatures, which one will be needed. Needless to say, the existing electoral legislation in Russia extremely narrows the right of a citizen of the Russian Federation, enshrined in the Constitution, to “elect and be elected” and serves to cut off “undesirable” candidates. All this is already clear.

Does this mean that if Prokhorov is registered as a candidate for the presidency, I will vote for him? No, although I do not exclude this option. I have no illusions about his candidacy and on March 4, as today, I will be guided by pragmatism. But at the moment the situation is such that Prokhorov is the candidate who personally causes me the least rejection among all the others (I mean the candidates admitted to the signature collection process). I admit that this state of affairs may change greatly over the next two months. It is quite possible that I will decide not to participate in “elections without choice” at all and, as in the run-up to December 4, will limit myself to receiving an absentee ballot (in order to prevent my vote from being stolen). However, in order to have the opportunity to choose what to do on March 4, in order to guarantee myself some “room for maneuver,” today I left a signature in support of Prokhorov. Let his name be on the ballot, and then we’ll see.