Stanislav Andreichuk

Inserted 2 years ago

“Ten years ago, a truly massive election observer cadre appeared on the scene. Around five years ago, Russian nonprofits and politicians learned to fundraise to such an extent that an entire class of civil society, not just a handful of organizations, could survive. 2019 saw the first mass protests against denied candidate registrations, not just in the aftermath of rigged elections. Now the state is starting to lose its monopoly of the media space, coercion is becoming ineffective, support from previously loyal electorates is fading out, and new politicians are replacing those who were jailed or forced to emigrate. The toughened election laws thus appear to be the regime's attempt to roll back the oncoming tide of public dissatisfaction.”

Rferl

Co-chairman of the independent election-monitoring group Golos