Translated material
Voting strategies
How to vote. Several days were left until March 4, candidates debate, rally, appeal to the mind and promise money. What to do “angry townspeople” in the presidential election-the New Times versed in the parliamentary elections, three options for protest voting were developed: an open boycott, which was called by Eduard Limonov, the strategy of “nah-nah”, that is, the damage of the ballot invented by the unregistered party Parnas, and the version of Alexei Navalny-the option of Alexei Navalny- “Vote for any other party, except for United Russia. The fact that United Russia gained less than 50%, contrary to all forecasts of sociologists, is considered the merit of Navalny's strategy. About the same options, dissatisfied citizens will have to choose on March 4.
During the expert survey, The New Times found out that
The boycott of the election is still the least effective. So, political scientist Marat Gelman is sure: if the turnout is 70%, then the second round is waiting for us, if 60%, then everything can end in the first. “For everyone, the position of“ not to come ”is losing. Even for supporters of the current government, he is sure. “The legitimacy of these elections greatly depends on whether there will be one tour or two.” According to experts, the main difference between the presidential elections from the Duma is that the distribution of votes will not be proportional, but on the principle of the absolute majority (majority system). If in December it was a question of passing several parties to the Duma, now the price of the issue is one chair. Previously, the mandates of parties that did not overcome the 7-percent barrier were distributed between the winners (and the majority went to the leading party), now everyone will receive only their votes. And those who are still going to come to polling stations should once again assess the effectiveness of all strategies.
For any, except “... except for Vladimir Putin”, the election slogan of the famous blogger and lawyer Alexei Navalny sounds. “At first glance, this is less convincing than“ vote for any other party except “United Russia,” Navalny admits. “Since parties are organizations with a large number of people, and voting for any candidate, except Putin, in fact, means voting for a particular character.” But, according to Navalny, moral principles will not suffer if the voter understands: the election on March 4 is “just a kind of event during which Putin will appoint himself an autocrat of all Rus'.” So the main task is to create a stressful situation for the authorities. And the biggest blow to it will be a mass vote for any other than Putin.
By choosing this strategy, you can count on the fact that your voice will not only not disappear, but will also be counted correctly: on the eve of March 4, there is an active preparation of observers throughout the country. On the website of Navalny "Rosvybory.org) more than 15 thousand people have already signed up for observers. And the project "Citizen Observer" (nabludatel.org) collected 10 thousand people throughout Russia, 2.5 thousand of which are already distributed in areas in Moscow.
True, there are two options: to vote for any, at random, or to thinkfully find “less evil”. Political scientist Alexander Kynev advises the second: ""
If it is important for you that the elections do not end in one round, then choose this strategy. But I think that supporting position, not a person, is important here. Choose the one that, in your opinion, will be taken into account by power after the election. Look at the programs of the candidates-one of them offers real political reform or not. If we talk about the slogans that were on Sakharov and Bolotnaya, they are reflected in the programs of Mironov and Prokhorov. ” That is how, according to his admission, Mikhail Khodorkovsky would have acted if he were free.
In this spirit, the writer, Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, has already made his choice. On the blog on Echo of Moscow, he wrote that Prokhorov called him, told about himself and convinced that he could “dismantle the regime”. In an interview with The New Times, Bukovsky said: Prokhorov did not call the purpose of the call, "he just called, talked." Prokhorov promised Bukovsky that he would support all the requirements of Bolotnaya. “He is not satisfied with only the term of the“ transition president ”, two years. He says that during this time the necessary reforms of the law cannot be carried out. I think so too, ”said Bukovsky. The writer is sure that the head of the CEC Vladimir Churov will still draw the necessary election results, but now it is necessary to vote for the future - for the one who in the future will be able to really become "a defeat from the enemy camp."
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Boris Akunin: “The key, it seems to me, was the question“ Do you agree to vote, how the majority will decide, even if this decision does not reflect your personal point of view? ” Most of the answers said no "no"
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The disadvantages of the strategy “for any, except” are all the same as in the parliamentary elections:
You have to give your vote for someone else's candidate, and having voted, it will no longer be possible to say that the elections were illegitimate. There is another drawback. “Even if you voted for a specific person, falsifiers can put checkmarks opposite the rest of the names, turning the ballot into invalid in order to take away the voices of Putin’s most powerful opponents,” warns the head of the Communist Party of the Communist Party Vadim Soloviev.
The crusaders were called the “Crusade” by the writer Boris Akunin strategy, which during the Duma campaign was called “Nah-Nah”. Voting in the parliamentary elections for Yabloko, Akunin decided on March 4 to put the crosses opposite the names of all candidates. “A number of election surveys were conducted - in LiveJournal, on the website of Echo of Moscow. About 100 thousand people took part. The key, it seems to me, was the question “Do you agree to vote, how the majority decides, even if this decision does not reflect your personal point of view?” Most of the respondents said no, ”Akunin explained his position in an interview with The New Times. “Once we are not ready for a single strategy, I decided to act in my own way.”
According to Akunin, "crusader tactics" -
This is not only a vote against Putin, but also against the dishonest elections themselves. Moreover, the law on the presidential election
* * Article 76, paragraph 3 of Law No. 19-FZ dated January 10, 2003. Akunin read that the spoiled ballots for the distribution of votes between the candidates would not be affected.
Elena Dubrovina, a member of the Central Election Commission, confirmed The New Times: “If in the Duma elections invalid ballots, in fact, increased the final percentage of the winning party, now it is not so. When counting votes for specific candidates, where there are no proportional distribution of ballots, absolute numbers play a role.
Invalid ballots will only indicate the discontent of the voter with a list of candidates. ” “In fact, this is a candidate against all,” adds opposition politician Vladimir Ryzhkov. He, too, is inclined to the “Crusade”, since there are no real representatives of the opposition among the proposed candidates.
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Stanislav Belkovsky: “The higher, which means that the result of Putin will be more absurd, the wider the protest. It is necessary not to go on the 4th to the sites, but on the 5th to the streets "
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But there are also minuses. Professor of European University Grigory Voov recalls that
There are no observers from the “spoiled ballots” - observers from parties take care of their votes, and there will be no dealing with anyone spoiled, and they may be in a stack of ballots filed for the “most important” candidate. Lawyer Vadim Prokhorov is sure that five crosses will not help the opposition. According to him, in the last elections it was worth voting against everyone: from the law on the Duma elections it follows that if 40% of the ballots are invalid, the elections are recognized as failed. According to the law on the presidential election, re -voting is appointed if not one of the candidates was elected by the majority - that is,
The Cross Bulletin plays the same role as any other. If you decide that this strategy is suitable for you, remember the precautions. Elena Dubrovina says that according to the law, the ballot is considered invalid, where the checkmarks are opposite all the candidates or if the ballot is not filled out at all. But political analyst Alexander Kynev advises
Do not lower an empty piece of paper into the urn-someone can put a cross on it instead of you. 
You save time and "do not sit down to play at the same table with shulers." This strategy is the writer and oppositionist Eduard Limonov. “We must systematically boycott this power and not participate in any elections. They begin to talk about these calculations ... This is alllessly stupid everything, ”he was indignant in an interview with The New Times. However, political scientist Dmitry Oreshkin is convinced that
Such a strategy will only play into the hands of candidate Vladimir Putin. “The fewer“ angry townspeople ”will come, the more significant the contribution of the regions with a controlled vote will be - such as Chechnya and Dagestan and those territories where falsification mechanisms have been worked out,” he says. And political scientist Alexander Kynev generally believes that
People who do not participate agree in advance with any result. Political scientist Stanislav Belkovsky does not agree with his colleagues: “Putin will win in the first round at all costs and will receive at least 55%. The only question is in the legitimacy of the elections. But the higher, and therefore, the result of Putin will be absurd, the wider the protest will be. It is necessary not to go to the 4th to the sites, but on the 5th to the streets. ”
