Elections without a choice? Presidential elections in authoritarian Russia and their consequences.

In March, Presidential elections will be held in Russia, officially starting on March 15. The re-election of Vladimir Putin is considered certain. Two other candidates received unexpectedly high approval ratings, but were just as quickly excluded by the electoral commission. The three remaining candidates either support Putin or have no real political profile.

So why talk about elections without proper choices? If one considers the elections not as an act of political decision-making but as a ritual act of participation and an opportunity for the regime to demonstrate its own power, it can offer a lot of insights into domestic policy processes as well as public mood.

In our Lunchtalk-webinar we want to discuss various aspects of the Presidential elections in Russia with

Sabine Fischer, Senior Fellow of the Research Division Eastern Europe and Eurasia, SWP
Margarita Zavadskaya, Finnish Institute of International Affairs

Moderation: Sebastian Lambertz (DGO)

Out speakers will outline the development of the Russian electoral system since Vladimir Putin’s third term in office, which started in 2012. Against the backdrop of the unexpected death of Alexei Navalny they will also discuss the role of the opposition and the oppositional candidates as well as the phenomenon of protest voting. Last but not least they will give an outlook on what can be expected after the elections.

The discussion will be held online via Zoom. Please register via: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZxwXlS9MTSKsM171gEVx4g#/registration

Die Veranstaltung findet online statt. Sprache(n): English, Veranstalterin: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde