It has long been commonplace to say the process that is called “elections” in Russia does not play any role in determining matters of political power. Rather it is an imitative mechanism intended to give the appearance of legitimacy to the regime.
OP-ED
Garry Kasparov: Any vote is a vote for Putinism
Russian chess legend, former World Chess Champion, writer and opposition activist Garry Kasparov, poses on June 8, 2016 in Paris .
There are less than two weeks remaining before Russia holds its so-called legislative elections. But we can already draw conclusions about what is going on. We can see that it is not only pointless, but even harmful, for the opposition to participate in the "voting" if its goal is to oppose the regime of President Vladimir Putin.
