Year of Navalny

Not allowing the opposition to the elections, the authorities drove himself into a trap, from which it is not easy to get out

*Alexey Navalny after his performance in the CEC *Photo: Evgeny Feldman, the project "This is Navalny"

It is fashionable to summarize the year, so the CEC is not behind. Refusal to register the presidential candidate Alexei Navalny is as recognition: in Russian politics, the year 2017 became the year of Navalny.

There was no reason to doubt that Navalny would be refused in registration - there was no: the head of the CEC Ella Pamfilova has repeatedly stated that he would not be allowed before the election. But the Navalny candidate campaign turned out to be so bright (it is worth recalling: the oppositionist, which was not allowed now, was not allowed before the election, is the only politician who, during the election year, led a real campaign) that rational considerations receded into the background.

Tens of thousands of people watched the online broadcast of the meeting of the election commission. For the first time in history. The decision of members of the commission gave rise to a storm on social networks. People could not believe that you can just take and deprive the main election of the remnants of political meaning. But you can, it turns out.

One with a cordobalet

By the way, the hysteria of Pamfilova, who, during the polemic with Navalny, remembered the trade union merits of the Soviet era (“I plowed in production for 12 years”!), Also like sincere recognition. The head of the CEC perfectly understood what she was doing, and even nervous in her own way. The fact that she once won the election in a single-member district was a deputy of the Duma, presidential candidate and head of the Council for Human Rights, Pamfilova did not recall. This is understandable: the decision of the cycs on Navalny is a bad background for memories of competitive elections and, moreover, civil rights.

The Kremlin so reverently, so carefully monitored the activities of Navalny during the year, specially hired people and diligently told how unpopular he was and how little influence he had, which even far from politics became clear: this guy forces them to be nervous.

All other elections participants are finally reduced to the level of corps de ballet, regardless of what they themselves think about their own greatness and role in history

Having made the decision on the prevention of Navalny, the authorities completely drove itself into a trap - they are not allowed, it means that they are simply afraid, what other conclusion can be drawn from what happened? Now Vladimir Putin has one real opponent - Alexei Navalny, this can be said to be recorded officially.

Links to sociological surveys lose meaning - after all, there was a great way to check who is more popular.

Links to the Law, specially adopted at one time, are the only task of which is to cut Navalny from the elections, all the more not important. Readers of the Constitution understand that this law is anti -constitutional and the CEC by its decision directly violated the Constitution. The rest know - for Putin the law is not written, I would like to allow it - I would have allowed it, but if I didn’t allow ...

From this situation you can’t get out: from now on, Putin does not defeat the rivals in an honest struggle, but performs a ritual dance accompanied by a corps de ballet. And by the way, yes, this is also important - all other elections participants are finally reduced to the level of the corps de ballet, regardless of what they themselves think about their own greatness and role in history. However, the people there on the list are more and more hardened, not particularly vulnerable and not inclined to ethical reflection. They will survive, dance. Tasty cookies cost three months of shame. Veterans do not get used to, beginners will get used to it.

The struggle against the turnout

Navalny’s response to the decision of the CEC was the announcement of the voter strike. The words are selected successfully - the strike is not a boycott, not a simple ignoring of the elections, the strike involves active actions and personal involvement of the striking in the process.

The election race changes the vector. Now it is important how effective the struggle of the unacceptable candidate against turnout will be

Actually, the plan of these actions has already been formulated - Navalny’s headquarters in the regions do not bloom, his volunteers will continue to conduct a campaign, but this will already be a campaign to disrupt the appearance. The turnout is a fetish for Putin, because he should not only win (everyone knows that he will win), he should become the president of the vast majority of Russians. The strike did not even start, and in the Kremlin they are again nervous: they promise to “scrupulously check” whether such calls are legal.

But if nothing criminal is found in the calls to the strike-the case is fixed: what will prevent the Duma from making participation in the elections obligatory or prohibit the word “strike”?

The election race changes the vector. Now it is important not how the candidates will be aged for themselves. It is important how effective the struggle of the unacceptable candidate against turnout will be.

* The author’s opinion may not coincide with the opinion of the editorial office