Putin ‘wins’ rigged Russian election with 88% of the vote, early results show
Preliminary results indicate a huge victory for Vladimir Putin but thousands protest at polling stations and Russian embassies worldwide.
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Why do they bother with this show? Do Russians think they live in a democracy? Who is this for?
It's all to keep up appearances. You keep up the propaganda and fake news and some people will be no the wiser. I'm sure there's many who know that this is fake but there's also some who just accept the propaganda.
100%. Like how many conservatives in America assume everyone else does or wants the horrible things they want to do. So that basically all of their accusations end up being projection and confessions. There is a not insignificant number in Russia that believes that America is just as dysfunctional as they are. And at Western criticism is hypocritical. They have a point to a small extent. But they are in many ways a bit worse off. Though I may not be able to say that next year.
Reminds me of the joker from Christofer Nolan's Batman. If things go according to plan, nobody cares. Even if its clearly fake, keeping up the resemblance of a working system raises less concerned citizens.
The true power of any country always lies with the people. For example, every previous chinese dynasty ended due to civilian uprising.
I think most Russians are too busy trying to survive and not get sent to war or a gulag to care which particular despot rules over them.
The entire point is to spread cynicism about democracy as a process. That way autocrats can say "look, it doesn't actually matter, voting is as free here as it is in the west." It's not to convince you that they are free, it's to make people question the value of Western freedoms.
The reality is that democracy obviously doesn't work without civil liberties to go along with it. But this is more nuanced than your average person will grasp without explanation.
Exactly this: I remember meeting some Russians that had moved to Belgium a few years ago, and we got to talking about this topic. These were well educated young people, yet they told me the thing that surprised them the most when moving to Belgium was that people actually cared about elections, and that elections actually mattered. They had been completely convinced that elections in the west were just like the "elections" they were used to from Russia.
I was told by a Russian that they venerate beaurocracy. The documents show the objective truth and it doesn't matter that everyone involves knows that the contents is bullshit as long as the process has been followed to the letter.
To force the population to believe the lie. Out of fear or because they have been brain-washed. A test of loyalty.
Who is this for?
Administrative machine
I can really recommend the William Spaniel video on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf5floG0aP8
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://www.piped.video/watch?v=Qf5floG0aP8
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
Why do they bother with this show?
For the same reason millions of depressed Americans will report to their local polling place to choose between two old men in a few months.
Putin seems to be obsessed with legalities. Every day a new law, a decree, a statement. Tonnes of paper just to satisfy his ego.