Russia’s United Democrats Plan for an Electoral Revolution from Below

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 1 – One of the most fundamental weaknesses of the Russian system and the Russian opposition is its Moscow-centricity, an approach that gives the regime enormous advantages and marginalizes the opposition because it can only under the most unusual circumstances effectively challenge the Kremlin.

            But now a group, calling itself the United Democrats and supported by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has adopted an alternative approach, focusing on local elections in the regions where it can lay the foundation for a broader challenge to the Russian system (znak.com/2020-06-01/kak_obedinennye_demokraty_hodorkovskogo_povedut_na_vybory_650_politikov).

            The group, a project rather than a party, “intends to nominate candidates in the municipal elections in four regions of Russia: Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Ivanovo, and Tatarstan.” It currently backs 650 such individuals, a number that will allow them and the group far greater influence than would be the case if it ran them in Moscow or St. Petersburg.

            Andrey Pivovarov, who directs the group, said it had decided to shift its attention to the regions after failing to win out in the northern capital, that it hopes to expand its program into more federal subjects – he says there is already one in play – and that it will work with other democratic parties rather than seek to become a party in its own right.

            The United Democrats have been working toward this fall’s elections for more than a year, he says.  It seeks to cooperate with politicians who are committed to democracy because “we have the same attitude toward Vladimir Putin, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler.” Those who back one or more of these cannot count on its support, Pivovarov says.

            “As a result of the pandemic and the limitations which have been introduced, people have been thinking more about security and survival than about elections.” But now they are focusing on them. And United Democrats is attracting more people as candidates and potential voters, he continues.

            The candidates are drawn from local people, and the group plans to spend between 3,000 and 30,000 rubles (50 to 500 US dollars) for each candidate. If a large number of them are elected, they will attract support for the democratic cause; and they will serve as a breeding ground for leaders at the regional and federal levels.

            The group’s fundamental goal is the promotion of parliamentarianism, Pivovarov says. “We would like as many leaders as possible. The concept behind United Democrats is to help various people become politicians and deputies [because] we believe that only from below will it be possible to grow a new generation of deputies capable of changing the country.”