“Valuable staff”: How Kremlin is turning war participants into school teachers
Schools in Russia are not only educational institutions but also key players in the electoral process. Most polling stations are located in schools, while school staff make up the majority of election commission members.
To address the shortage of teachers in small towns and villages, Kremlin is now retraining 'war veterans' as educators.
This reportage explains how it works.
Read more … “Valuable staff”: How Kremlin is turning war participants into school teachers
Who funds United Russia?
The wealthiest political party in Russia, which has maintained a dominant position in power for over 20 years, receives annual funds large enough to cover the expenses of a small town.
Sirena project conducted a thorough analysis of the party’s financial report, identifying its key sources of support.
REM summarizes its main findings.
Report: COVID-19 pandemic and war have not altered the funding system of Russian political parties
According to the recent Golos report, the rules meant to ensure financial transparency of political parties are not functioning as intended.
Instead, parties have become more secretive and learned to circumvent legal restrictions.
REM shares key findings of the report.
Trauma of repression: How state persecution of Russian activists alters their lives
1,073 individuals in Russia have been subjected to political repression, with 331 currently in prison.
REM presents an abridged translation of a 7х7 reportage on the trauma of political repression.
Its heroes' personal accounts highlight the reasons behind low political engagement in Russia.
Read more … Trauma of repression: How state persecution of Russian activists alters their lives
Media monitoring: After the elections
REM commissioned an independent team of analysts to monitor Russia's leading social networks, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Telegram and Youtube, to explore how the Kremlin's propaganda machine works on social media using actual data.
We present the main observations below, as well as visualized data and graphs illustrating the findings.
Statement of the Golos movement on the results of the regional elections of 6-8 September 2024
The Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights Golos has published a final statement on the results of the regional elections in Russia in September 2024.
REM presents an abridged English version of the statement.
Express review of the third voting day on 8 September
Based on the Golos report, REM summarizes the key trends observed during the third voting day (Unified Election Day) of the regional elections 2024.
Read more … Express review of the third voting day on 8 September
Express review of the second voting day on 7 September
Based on the Golos report, REM summarizes the key trends observed during the second voting day of the regional elections 2024.
Read more … Express review of the second voting day on 7 September
Media monitoring: Before the elections
REM commissioned an independent team of analysts to monitor Russia's leading social networks, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Telegram and Youtube, to explore how the Kremlin's propaganda machine works on social media using actual data.
We present the main observations below, as well as visualized data and graphs illustrating the findings.
Express review of the first voting day on 6 September
Based on the Golos report, REM summarizes the key trends observed during the first voting day of the regional elections 2024.
Read more … Express review of the first voting day on 6 September
Competitive elections in Russia remain only at the local level
By-elections to the State Duma, elections to regional and local legislatures, as well as elections for heads of municipalities and local councils, will take place in the regions of Russia on 6-8 September 2024.
Observers prepared a final report on the results of candidate nominations and registrations.
REM publishes an executive summary.
Read more … Competitive elections in Russia remain only at the local level
“We will start small”
How can a deputy of a city duma help people?
Why are trade unions so important for Russia?
What will make sanctions a fairer political tool?
Evgeny Stupin, deputy of the Moscow City Duma, was stripped of his deputy's mandate because of his anti-war stance. In this interview, he talks about his achievements and plans.
No region in Russia has a competitive gubernatorial election campaign
The movement in defense of voters' rights Golos has published an analytical report on the results of nomination and registration of gubernatorial candidates.
REM summed up the main takeaways in this article.
Read more … No region in Russia has a competitive gubernatorial election campaign
Who rules Russian regions. Alexander Kynev on how the system of power has changed over 30 years
In his recently published book, Kynev described how regional politics has changed from the collapse of the USSR to the present day: how forces were distributed, how the power vertical was built, and how heads of regions turned into regular managers.
REM publishes a translation of 7x7 interview with him.
The main intrigue of September elections — will Communists regain their positions?
Russian authorities have done everything to make the elections predictable and boring, and voters hardly ever go to them at all.
And yet — should we expect something interesting from the September elections?
REM publishes a translation of the 7x7 interview with expert Alexander Kynev.
Read more … The main intrigue of September elections — will Communists regain their positions?
“I’d really like to live in Russia”
What is the meaning of clandestine electoral campaigns in modern Russia?
Could the experiences of political struggle in other countries be adopted by Russian activists in the future?
Activist and politician Ksenia Bezdenezhnykh on her electoral experience and workplace politics.
A wizard with federal connections
In June, Vladimir Putin appointed Andrey Turchak as the acting head of the Altai Republic, an economically depressive and sparsely populated region.
This appointment was seen as a "punishment" for Turchak's continued good relations with Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private military company.
Meduza tells how Andrei Turchak is trying to please Altai residents and earn his return to Moscow.
"Admitting helplessness is much scarier than the situation in Russia"
Vladimir Zhilkin is an anti-war candidate for the Moscow City Duma. He is a politician, human rights activist and sociologist from Tambov, a provincial city 500 km from Moscow.
REM publishes an abridged translation of Zhilkin's interview for 7x7, where he talks about his campaign, Muscovites' attitudes towards the war, and why it is important to run for election even when there are no free elections.
Read more … "Admitting helplessness is much scarier than the situation in Russia"
“I’m not going to leave my neighborhood”
Gleb Babich's campaign was one of the most remarkable campaigns in this year's Moscow City Duma elections.
On 16 July, Moscow Election Commission declared 8% of signatures collected by Gleb Babich invalid. The left-leaning urban activist will not be registered as a candidate.
In this interview, he talks about the goals and challenges of his campaign as well as the meaning of collective discussion and action in today’s Russia.
Election update IX. Russia begins preparations for Unified Voting Day 2024
In September, elections will be held for 13 regional legislatures and 22 governors.
Kremlin is actively preparing by further restricting both the citizens’s voting rights and political competition in 'problematic' regions.
More about the election-related developments of May/June 2024 in this review.
Read more … Election update IX. Russia begins preparations for Unified Voting Day 2024
The new Kadyrov. Who could become the next head of the Chechen Republic?
Although the 47-year-old Chechnya's leader Ramzan Kadyrov denies rumors about his potentially fatal illness, media and experts on Russian elites claim that Kremlin has begun to develop a plan for power transfer.
What kind of person does Kremlin need to be in charge of Chechnya, and who are potential candidates for this post – in REM's review.
Read more … The new Kadyrov. Who could become the next head of the Chechen Republic?
Election update VIII. Preparations for the Unified Election Day 2024 have started
United Russia tries hard to nominate war veterans for regional parliaments, the party system continues to decline, while Chechnya acknowledges the use of coercion to vote in the last presidential elections.
More about the election-related developments of March/April 2024 in this review.
Read more … Election update VIII. Preparations for the Unified Election Day 2024 have started
Electoral anomaly in Cyprus. How Foreign Ministry and CEC fabricated 40,000 votes for Putin
We collected evidence demonstrating why the presidential vote 2024 in Cyprus can be considered the largest overseas electoral fraud in Russia's modern history.
Fire, ink, Noon against Putin: How Russians resisted illegitimate elections
Russia's three-day presidential vote 2024 seemed to be the most non-transparent in its history.
In this article, we provide an overview of the civic resistance at polls during the voting days.
Read more … Fire, ink, Noon against Putin: How Russians resisted illegitimate elections
Statement on the Russian presidential elections 2024
Based on Golos observers' reports, REM summarizes the three-day presidential vote results and reports on electoral violations.
Read more … Statement on the Russian presidential elections 2024
Russia uses social media as a major campaigning tool in its presidential elections
REM commissioned an independent team of analysts to monitor Russia's leading social networks, VKontakte and Telegram, to show how the Kremlin's propaganda machine works on social media.
Here we present the main findings, fascinating data, and diagrams revealing the mechanisms behind this massive propaganda machine.
Read more … Russia uses social media as a major campaigning tool in its presidential elections
Election update VII. The campaign results: Russian authorities make the election run dry
In this article, REM summarizes the results of the presidential election campaign 2024, focusing on agitation and administrative mobilization.
The text is based on the respective report published by the election watchdog Golos.
Read more … Election update VII. The campaign results: Russian authorities make the election run dry
Election update VI. Results of presidential elections 2024 candidates registration
Golos, the Movement in defense of voters' rights, has published a report summing up the results of candidates' nomination and registration during the Russian presidential election campaign 2024.
In this review, we share the main takeaways.
Read more … Election update VI. Results of presidential elections 2024 candidates registration
Election update V. Putin's presidential campaign has been rigged from the start
Russian CEC adopted regulations for candidates to run for the presidency. Predictably, not all applicants were able to obtain the status of a registered candidate. Meanwhile, the election campaign of incumbent President Vladimir Putin started with violations of electoral legislation.
In this review, we briefly recap the most significant events of late 2023 and early 2024.
Read more … Election update V. Putin's presidential campaign has been rigged from the start
Election update IV. Russia's presidential campaign is gathering pace
In this report, we recount the most significant November 2023 developments related to the presidential elections 2024.
Among them are Putin's presidential bid, test of e-voting, amendments to legislation on presidential elections and political “cleansings” in Russian regions.
The report is based on a regular news digest by the Golos Movement for Defense of Voters' Rights.
Read more … Election update IV. Russia's presidential campaign is gathering pace
Election update III. The presidential campaign in Russia has started
In this one-pager, REM recounts the most significant October 2023 events signaling the start of the campaign.
The text is based on an analytical report prepared by experts and published on the Golos Movement for Defense of Voters' Rights website.
Read more … Election update III. The presidential campaign in Russia has started
Elections 2023 appear even less free and fair than before
8-10 September in Russia were days of elections of State Duma deputies in four districts, heads of 21 regions, deputies of 16 regional parliaments, 12 city councils of regional capitals, as well as elections in the occupied territories and numerous local elections.
REM summarizes the main conclusions from the observation.
Read more … Elections 2023 appear even less free and fair than before
We are observing a decline in the willingness of parties to participate in elections
Parties are reluctant to participate in elections to regional and municipal assemblies, an expert report concludes. They understand the impossibility of fair competition and do not want to invest effort in fighting the ruling party. Further, the elections in the occupied territories cannot be considered legitimate either legally or procedurally.
Read more about the results of the nomination of candidates for deputies of local and regional parliaments.
Read more … We are observing a decline in the willingness of parties to participate in elections
‘Golos’ summarized the nomination of candidates for the 2023 gubernatorial elections
The report’s primary conclusion aligns with expert forecasts: genuine competition between candidates is anticipated in only one region, the Republic of Khakassia, out of the 21 regions that participate in the September elections.
Read this report summary for more statistics and expert insights.
Read more … ‘Golos’ summarized the nomination of candidates for the 2023 gubernatorial elections
United Russia dominates district electoral commissions, where most electoral fraud originates
A recently published "Golos" report details who holds control over the precinct electoral commissions across Russian regions. REM provides insights into the key findings of the report, emphasizing its significance as we approach the 2023 elections and the 2024 presidential elections.
Co-chair of Russian election watchdog Golos detained ahead of elections
Mass searches and interrogations of Golos activists took place across the country. What do we know about that by now?
Read more … Co-chair of Russian election watchdog Golos detained ahead of elections
Election update II. Legislative changes make it easier for "United Russia" to win elections
On the eve of the elections, Russian authorities adopted a new package of amendments to the electoral legislation. The changes aim to help candidates from the ruling party win in the September elections.
Election update I. There will be no competition in the Russian gubernatorial elections 2023
In light of the gubernatorial elections to be held in September in 21 Russian regions, we analyze a report on the candidates running for governor. The report concludes that no real competition can be expected in these elections, with few exceptions.
Playing heroes
All the proclamations about the active involvement of 'war veterans' in politics remain empty rhetoric.
In reality, the 'defenders of Donbass' hat is now worn by the same politicians who have held official positions for years. This verbiage and masquerade are designed not to please the voters but to satisfy one particular person.
Monitoring of the Monitors
Ordinary non-public citizens of Russia become threat number two once they acquire knowledge related to the electoral field and touch the sphere where one of the fundamental myths of the regime is created: the myth of nationwide popular support.
Slippery AstroTurf of the Kremlin war
A new study of Russian social media proved half of the sabre-rattling messages to be artificial duplicates orchestrated from the single centre. The research has also revealed prolific pro-governmental professional bloggers trying to dominate the Russian Internet community. And yet, they are 1.5 less popular than anti-war authors.
Those who dared - II
We continue to acquaint our readers with those rare, brave individuals who challenged the Putin regime at home during elections in September 2022, when the regime began to receive the first sobering blows at the front in Ukraine.
What happened with the reckless candidates after the elections? How did they survive the ordeal? Who managed to stay, and who had to flee the country? You will learn it in the following, the final part of this coverage, which is currently being written exclusively for REM.
Those who dared
On 12 September 2022, President Zelensky announced the liberation of 6,000 km2 in a massive counter-offensive. For President Putin, the day was the beginning of a period of humiliating defeats, of the disgraceful retreat of his army and a chaotic attempt at mobilisation.
But up to this very day, there had been an election campaign in Russia. In the choking atmosphere of "special military operation", under censorship and repression for any word of dissent, there were amazing people who dared to challenge the System.
The third voting day in the express overview by the Russian nonpartisan election monitor Golos
By the end of voting, tension at the polling stations was growing. The number of reports claiming that commission members, police and unauthorised persons put psychological pressure on observers has also increased.
The second voting day in the express overview by the Russian nonpartisan election monitor Golos
According to Golos Movement, the main trends for the second voting day were conflicts between members of commissions and civic observers, signs of possible falsifications, and bribery and coercion of voters.
The first voting day in the express overview of the Russian nonpartisan election monitor Golos
Main election day trends: pressure on election observers and candidates, bloated turnout in Distance E-Voting, coerced voting, failure of the Electronic Voter Register, violation of the rights of election committee members, observers and mass media, fabrication of fakes and attempts to discredit citizen observers.
Putin’s Second Front: no peace for the wicked
The failure of the PR campaign uncanny resembles the collapse of the military campaign on the battlefields. A new media monitoring report on "special operation" describes the unexpected resistance of the Russian population to a heavy propagandistic barrage.
2021 Results. Laws of the year
The passing year built on legislative trends of the previous one and even brought about many innovations in censorship, limitations of online activities, and infringements on privacy. Such provisions include multiple prohibitions related to the Great Patriotic War, the ‘law against Anti-Corruption Foundation’, and infamous QR codes.
Election Day-2021 in Bashkiria: 'Put in the target number I set'
Preliminarily evaluating the elections to the Ufa City Council and the State Duma in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the 'Golos' Movement regretfully cannot recognize the elections as truly fair, i.e., fully compliant with the Constitution, the laws of the Russian Federation, the laws of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and international election standards.
Read more … Election Day-2021 in Bashkiria: 'Put in the target number I set'
Map of violations: three record-setting days
In total, from the beginning of voting dated September 17, 'Map of Violations' by the 'Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights "Golos"' published 4592 reports. The Map is a project that collects information about possible electoral violations using the principle of crowdsourcing – observers, voters, members of commissions may report alleged violations witnessed during the electoral campaigning or voting using a submission form on the website or a telephone hotline.
Preliminary findings of observation of the September 19, 2021, State Duma elections
This is a preliminary statement on findings of observation on the main voting day, September 19, 2021, by the 'Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights "Golos".' Golos ran long-term and short-term observation of all stages of the campaign. In the course of the elections, the united call center's hotline received 5,943 calls. The 'Map of Violations' received 4,973 reports of alleged violations by noon 20 September, Moscow time, including 3,787 on the voting days.
Read more … Preliminary findings of observation of the September 19, 2021, State Duma elections
Voting Day II: A Brief Overview
This is a brief overview of election monitoring findings on the Second Voting Day, September 18, 2021 by citizen observers of the 'Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights "Golos"'.
Voting Day 1: A Brief Overview
This is a brief overview of election monitoring findings on the First Voting Day by citizen observers of the 'Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights "Golos"'.
The election campaign and administrative mobilization of voters in September 19, 2021 elections
The September 19, 2021 elections are marked by growing pressure on media and individual journalists, attempts at blocking information about "Smart Voting", and massive coercion of voters to vote and register for e-voting and mobile voting. In parallel, social media has been growing in importance for years as a space of more freedom and an alternative information channel. Here are the main findings of the report that focuses on the impact of these two antipodal trends.
'The three heroes': more than a third of social media mentions are related to United Russia, CPRF, and the New People party
This report covers the monitoring of social networks from the 10th to the 11th week of the election campaign (August 23 to September 5) to the Russian State Duma, scheduled for September 19, 2021.
Arrests, bribery, threats
This is the seventh overview of reports of possible violations of electoral legislation gathered via the 'Map of Violations' by the 'Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights "Golos"' between September 6 and September 12. Since the beginning of the election campaign, 945 messages from 72 regions have been published on the Map.
Arrests, arson, and being fired for refusing to register for remote voting
This is the sixth overview of reports of possible violations of electoral legislation gathered via the 'Map of Violations' by the Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights 'Golos' between August 30 and September 5. In total, from August 30 to September 1, 125 messages have been received by the Map.
Read more … Arrests, arson, and being fired for refusing to register for remote voting
Two universes: unlike on television, in social networks, United Russia and the Communist Party are almost head-to-head
This report covers the monitoring of social networks from the 5th to the 9th week (July 20 - August 22) of the election campaign to the Russian State Duma, scheduled for September 19, 2021.
‘Imaginary’ campaign boards and an assignment to vote in prisons
This is the fifth overview of reports of possible violations of electoral legislation gathered via the 'Map of Violations' by the Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights 'Golos' between August 23 and August 29. In total, 100 messages have been received by the Map during this period.
Read more … ‘Imaginary’ campaign boards and an assignment to vote in prisons
The outcomes of nomination and registration of candidates to the State Duma of the Russian Federation
The elections of the State Duma of Russia of the eighth convocation are marked by considerable tightening of rules for candidate nomination and registration. In fact, the rules are much worse than in 2016, when the current membership of the parliament was elected. Run on the background of harsh restrictions on freedom of expression and information and freedom of assembly and association, the elections are accompanied by a political crackdown against the most active pro-opposition citizens.
Pressure on voters and state control over social media accounts
This is the fourth overview of reports of possible violations of electoral legislation gathered via the 'Map of Violations' by the Movement for the Defense of Voters' Rights 'Golos' between August 16 and August 22. In total, 98 messages have been received by the Map in that period.
Read more … Pressure on voters and state control over social media accounts
Uneven access and unbalanced coverage: media monitoring findings after eight weeks of the campaign
Equality of rights of candidates in media coverage of their election campaign is one of the most important conditions for holding free and democratic elections. For a significant part of Russians, television remains to be one of the main sources of information. During the election campaign, the influence of television in shaping the attitude of the majority of voters towards elections and candidates is often decisive. Here is a summary of monitoring findings for the five main federal television channels during the first eight weeks of the campaign.
PCR tests for voters and candidate flights at public expense
This is the third overview of reports of possible violations of electoral legislation gathered via the 'Map of Violations' by the Movement for the Defense of Voters' Rights 'Golos' between August 9 and August 15. Since the beginning of the election campaign, 452 messages from 62 regions have been published on the Map.
Read more … PCR tests for voters and candidate flights at public expense
Political and Legal Peculiarities of September 2021 Regional and Local Elections
According to the CEC data as of 9 July 2021, 4,370 elections and referenda are scheduled for 19 September 2021, including elections to the State Duma, nine gubernatorial elections (new heads will be elected in three more regions), 39 elections to regional parliaments, and 11 elections of representative bodies of regional centres. Here's an overview of legal regulations and peculiarities of these races.
Read more … Political and Legal Peculiarities of September 2021 Regional and Local Elections
The administrative resource is gaining momentum, and independent candidates continue to face registration denials
This is the second overview of reports of possible violations of electoral legislation gathered via the 'Map of Violations' by the Movement for the Defense of Voters' Rights 'Golos' between August 2 and August 8.
‘Extremists’, ‘foreign agents’, and the abuse of administrative resource
This is the first overview of reports of possible violations of electoral legislation gathered via the 'Map of Violations' by the Movement for the Defense of Voters' Rights 'Golos' between June 22 and August 1.
Read more … ‘Extremists’, ‘foreign agents’, and the abuse of administrative resource
19 times: How the election law was changed before the 2021 State Duma elections
Since the last State Duma elections in 2016, lawmakers have introduced 19 amendments to the election law. In the year leading up to the State Duma elections in September 2021 alone, seven significant legislative amendments have been introduced, six of them in less than four months before the start of the campaign.
Read more … 19 times: How the election law was changed before the 2021 State Duma elections
Deprival of passive suffrage – who cannot run in the 2021 Duma Elections and why
According to election observers, recent amendments further limiting citizens' passive suffrage constitute a "fifth wave" of depriving Russians of their right to stand for election since the collapse of the USSR. New restrictions have a particular impact on politically active citizens.
Read more … Deprival of passive suffrage – who cannot run in the 2021 Duma Elections and why
Online Voting Testing in the Russian Federation: Observers’ Assessment
In May, the Russian Federation has tested a new system of remote electronic voting. The Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights "Golos" observed the testing phase, took part in the voting, and shared their conclusions and recommendations in a respective report.
Read more … Online Voting Testing in the Russian Federation: Observers’ Assessment
Implementation of OSCE/ODIHR Recommendations to Russia Following 2003-2018 Federal Elections
Between 2003 and 2018, OSCE/ODIHR published 139 recommendations on how to improve the conduct of elections in Russia. In the run-up to the State Duma elections in 2021, Russia has fully implemented just over 10% of them. Some have been tackled more promptly than others.