In its March 15 newsletter, the Belgian broadcasting Matin Première devoted its editorial to the Russian elections. One sentence states: “...In Russia, no debates, no opposition candidates but 3 candidates with no consistency next to the all-powerful president, no observers in the polling stations, no campaign. In short, this election is intended to be a plebiscite for Vladimir Putin. And if too many Russians turn out to vote, it''s quite possible that the official figures will be rigged without it being possible to verify them”.
No debates in Russia? How do we know when we live in Belgium, when the RT television channel and Sputnik News are banned from our screens and smartphones, being branded "malicious", carriers of fake news, even enemies of our democracies, etc.?
No opposition candidates in Russia? Without even saying a word about these candidates'' programs, RTBF described them as "inconsistent". To get an idea of this "inconsistency", it''s worth trying to get to know them.
The PCFR - Communist Party of the Russian Federation - has presented its candidate for the presidential election. There''s nothing inconsistent about this party: in the Duma, the Russian parliament, it represents 20% of voters, making it the 2nd largest party after Putin''s United Russia. Here are some excerpts from a speech by G.A. Zyuganov, Chairman of the KPRF Central Committee, to the country''s citizens on the occasion of the presidential election campaign:
« Dear comrades! Dear friends!
The presidential elections are a special event. Everyone has the opportunity to show, through their ballot paper, the path they advocate for Russia. And Russia is us. It''s the destiny of each and every one of us. When so much is at stake, it''s dangerous to think that nothing depends on our vote. Yes, the authorities have surrounded themselves with a wall of administrative and informational pressure, three-day voting and electronic voting. But this wall is impregnable only at first glance. Popular wisdom has it that "solidarity is more precious than wealth". History has shown that a united people can work miracles (...).
It was the workers who brought about the socialist revolution and defended the homeland against greedy invaders and treacherous White Guards. Under the leadership of the Communists, the Soviet people crushed the fascist scum. The working masses are the backbone of today''s Russia. Not even the most diabolical treachery of the "dazzling nineties" could break our people. It has won a great moral victory over universal lies and treachery. Straightening his shoulders, he showed everyone that he was alive and ready to lead the "humiliated and insulted" to storm the fortresses of injustice.(...)
We have demanded and continue to demand support for science and the introduction of new technologies. We defend teachers and doctors, pensioners and large families. We care about the younger generation. We help the Donbass. We support the army and navy. We fight against the falsification of history. We defend our great spirituality and culture.
Everyone must know that half-measures will not suffice. To resist and win the war with the West, we need a complete overhaul of the country. Changes must be based on solid foundations. The KPRF victory program, Nikolai Kharitonov''s program, creates them. »
The full text of this speech can be read on https://kprf.ru/party-live/cknews/224995.html