Forums/Politics: Is Russia becoming a true democracy? Judge our election!

quote Rambler

05 November, 2009, 17:50

"True democracy"?
Who, Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, etc. are "true Christians"?
Note, all those have been fighting with each other for this honorable title not so long ago, and they still compete.
The only thing we can say for sure: all of them are not Muslims.
Similar thing we can say about Russia - this is not a dictatorship. For sure. The rest depends on the peculiarities of your own "religion".

P.S. Why not to start a topic "Is USA becoming a true democracy?" :-)

quote William of the USA

02 November, 2009, 01:40

My impression is that Russia is a democracy, but that for a democracy it is extremely monolithic.

quote nohopeforUSA

14 October, 2009, 20:24

All nations have got to look ahead for a better way for everyone and not dwell to much on past mistakes. For example, here in the good ole USA, where we put the indians on the reservations and imported slaves from Africa and alowed Mexicans to enter illegal and paid them minimum wage. So where do we go from here.

quote sevodnya_net

21 August, 2009, 19:56

18 August, 2009, 02:27, Larry wrote
> Someone please tell me if there are ANY other countries out there that have term limits on their presidents as harsh as Russia's.

I'm racking my brains to think of a country with a presidential term LONGER than Russia's (shortly to become 6 years of course), of any country which has extended its presidential AND parliamentary terms in living memory, of any countries which have moreover done so without recourse to a referendum of its people, and finally of any country where the outgoing president is appointed (unelected) prime minister by his own presidential nominee.
That is, of all the countries that claim to be "democracies"

quote snowyone

20 August, 2009, 10:44

Democracy in a "Workers' State" comes only from the Workers and is solely for the Workers.
Democracy in a "Capitalist State" benefits only the Capitalists through its name "Democracy" being employed as another means of exploitation of Workers - who incidentally are the majority of the population in all States.
Which "States" benefit the majority of the population? - Workers' States!! This fact is denied vociferously by every Capitalist everyday everywhere by every means including via the pulpit and call-to-prayer tower. ///snowyone.

quote Larry

18 August, 2009, 02:27

True Democracy? As opposed to what? I think it is fairly obvious that the so-called 'democracies' of Europe & America are run by military/corporate complexes that like sharks have to keep eating competitors in order to survive. Someone please tell me if there are ANY other countries out there that have term limits on their presidents as harsh as Russia's.

quote dissturbbed

03 August, 2009, 13:42

True democracy far from it, Putin screwed that up when he took complete control over the media and handed down death sentences to journalist who were against his ideas. When you take power over the media you have complete control over how people think, just like in the elections the people are flooded with their ideas and at the same time they smash the oposition with negative hype. Hitler knew this and this was the first thing he took over when he got power. Another anti democratic thing he did was to extend the term for president, if it were a true democratic government you would want to limit the amount of time a president could serve not add to the term.

quote Nik

25 July, 2009, 23:23

I just don't get one thing, Russia is doing a lot better than the "Democratic" USA. And Russia isn't interfering that much in other people's business, like the "Democratic" USA. More people love Russia, because they haven't bombed any of the countries, they didn't interfere in elections of other countries, unlike the "Democratic" USA. Russia is already democratic, unlike the self-proclaimed "Democratic" USA.

quote An Eurasian

14 July, 2009, 22:30

At this moment - absolutely NOT.
And as probably the way of Putin will continue for a long time, though not by himself, it will take a lot of time before it will become one. The mostly controlled media and the "bullying" of it's neighbors are two the main reasons.
But I wish luck to the people of Russia and I believe that some things are already started, altough sometimes it looks the other way around... :|

quote RollTide316

28 June, 2009, 17:11

I think it takes time to set up a truly democratic government, especially since Russia's change to democracy was from a communist/socialist government. There continues to be a gradual improvement in Russia's government. There is still a lot of corruption in the government and I think a big reason for this is because people still have this undemocratic mindset, this is seen with many Russians in their views of capitalism. Many people are struggling in Russia in the present time because they are still in the process of transitioning into a capitalist society. As time goes on Russia will start to take a greater hold on democracy and capitalism and hopefully then average Russians will be able to reek the benefits of a free economy.

quote Larry

28 June, 2009, 09:57

Russians will develop a viable democracy that is uniquely their own.....IF.... they are allowed to grow & nurture the delicate process free of foreign intervention..The Anglo-Saxons ie. UK, US, AUS, NZ & CAN are geographically protected by their oceanic barriers and can indulge in a certain amount of social chaos safe in the knowledge that no outsider can forcefully interfere in their internal affairs....The Russians & other eastern europeans on the other hand, have had to recover from periodic cataclysms that have all but erased their societies.....Feeding a society on the brink of extinction is a far more common theme in Russian politics than the petty self indulgence of sexual orientation....What other society has had to regularly endure the aggression of genocidal manics from Gengis Khan to Napoleon to Hitler? Not to mention Stalin, a Georgian....who obviously cared less for 'Russian' citizens than the idea of the Soviet Union.

Yes...the Russians are blessed with 'democratic' tendencies. Novgorod was democratic long before any feudal societies in europe......The Orthodox church rarely if ever, turned to church-organized crusades, inquisitions or colonial missionary genocide to spread its message...and the idea of communism which terrified the plutocrats the world over ...in the same way the American revolution did... found resonance with the people of Russia. All of these positive tendencies were buried or subverted in genocidal wars, economic isolation and just horrible deprivation....mostly at the hands of foreigners.....Just leave the Russians alone and they'll grow a healthy meaningfull democracy.

quote Peter

22 June, 2009, 03:12

I believe Russian people are for one another and want the best for one another. I think that Russian democracy is totally a true democracy. If it wasn't, then any problems is because the wise of Russian are nurturing the situation for the best for the people. I would be lucky to be in the care of the current and previous Russian Presidents, they truely are dedicated and caring for the people they care about.

quote Marzipan6

11 December, 2007, 10:02

Uncle$am wrote,

quote Marzipan6

11 December, 2007, 09:38

Please be assured, David, that there were no restrictions nor qualifications for Aboriginal Australians to have voted in the recent elections there, apart from the fact that, like all citizens, they needed to have been at least 18 years of age. Perhaps some Aboriginals, who choose to live a nomadic tribal lifestyle in the vast areas of the country that are reserved to facilitate precisely that purpose, and where non-aboriginals cannot even enter apart from having a special permit, may not have been located on election day, and if they were, may not have known what the elections were all about anyway. But all other people, whether Aboriginal nor non-, no matter how remote townships or farming properties they may live in, will have had voting facilities readily available to them.

It seems the issues you are really raising were, are Aboriginals equal in Australian society, and were the Russian elections free and fair? The overwhelming opinion of non-Russian commentators, and even of quite a few Russian commentators, is that the recent Russian elections were not free and fair for reasons they specified, and which I will not reiterate here. As for the Aboriginals, they are equal in law, but often economically and socially disadvantaged in practical fact. This has to do with complex reasons involving major differences between many Western and Aboriginal values, past arrogance and abuses by white Australians, and Aboriginals

quote David

09 December, 2007, 22:51

Sevodnya :
I made no comparison between the Aboriginies and thos ethnic groups of Russia, what I was asking relvolves around 'free and fair' when it was strongly pointed out a couple of occassions, at least, about the Australian elections being 'free and fair'. The comparison is 'free and fair' there and free and fair in Russia.
The question posted was about the Aboriginies in Australia and the Native Americans in USA and Canada being able to participate in a national vote and if they are able to participate under what restrictions and qualifications!
Whereas, in the Russian elections ALL were able to vote, both residents and ex-pats.
Whilst we have those stating that the elections in Russia have not been free and fair can it be shown that in the Western countries, USA,Canada, Australia, they have, in their respective parliaments, elected representatives of the true indigenous peoples of those lands? A question I asked a while ago.
On both points I have yet to see and answer.
Just to repeat, my original question was not a comparison between the peoples but that the systems - free and fair.

quote DaniYah

08 December, 2007, 19:59

I would just like to add, that many well known "founders" of the American democracy who claimed to be abolitionists (against slavery of blacks) such as Benjamin Franklin, were in fact, involved in the massacre of the Indians. The policies against the "savages" outlined by Franklin in his biography (the man who brought fire from heaven)included biological and chemical warfare (trading of inoculated blankets and items to the Indians). Those policies, originating from Franklin's "Hellfire Club" continue today, with stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. It is not an issue of "race" or ethnicity, as the world has seen, these destructive policies have been aimed at EVERY human being of every nation, even those they claim to protect. We saw how the US++ bombed huge convoys of their "allies" the Albanian refugees in Kosovo supposedly by mistake in full daylight, how they prevented the UN blue helmets from stopping the mass murders that were happening before their very eyes, and that innocent civilians haven fallen like scorched grass everywhere.
I said that the Russian democracy better be judged by American Indians, on whose societal model the US participatory democracy was developed. However, today a few American Indians have made themselves fat rich while their poor live without. So, who is left to judge democracy? The only thing left is to realize that those groups of personalities reveling in hellfire and and extolling death and destruction of human beings cannot be given credibility by the public anymore.
Now Russia is on the world stage, and it has a stand to take to defend human rights, to preserve the love of life and peace in its territory and worldwide. But, it is blocked partly by the bribes made with Yeltin's olgigarchs and even in the old Communist party, who "stepped on the rake" as an official remarked recently, being tricked into the Cold War, to gather piles of horrendous murder weapons, instead of tools for peace. That was a recipe for dismantlement of the peoples of the USSR. All of the poor pray that that serves as a beautiful lesson, that whosoever deposits destruction will have only destruction to withdraw.
Now that the world crises and non-crises are focusing more and more on "human rights", those opposed to humanity will be greatly ashamed and stripped of all the aura of legitimacy.
Wherever oligarchs can run free and plunder the poor is not a true democracy, because obviously, that is a situation the people has not chosen.
The only thing I can say about democracy is to abolish the claim that it originated with the promoters of the world's holocausts, then we can look for a true standard. We will know when Russia is becoming a true democracy when the basic needs of the poor have been satisfied. At that time, the Russian civilization will be on its feet again, and there will be other topics where freethinking and free-flowing truth will be needed for it to develop further into a truly great nation. thanks again to Sanjay for 12/4 comment

quote DaniYah

08 December, 2007, 17:29

Many Kudos and thanks to Sanjay!!
The massacre of the Native Americans and of the slaves, besides many other poor and oppressed targeted by the haters of mankind, will soon see its reversal!

The idea of "American" participatory democracy itself is a society model taken from the Iroquios tribal nation (who called themselves "Hau de no sau nee" or "People Building a Long House" (in which the chiefs would meet as a congress). It was a confederation of 50 Indian chiefs, this is where the Englishmen got the idea to form 50 United States. The Taino Indians also had a similar system in the island of Quisqueyah (what is now Hispanola- Haiti and Dom. Republic) (see "Native American Political Systems and the Evolution of Democracy" by Bruce E. Johansen, among many others)
Whether Russia is becoming a true democracy or not, better ask the American Indians to judge, instead of Roman-esque European Union of Bribery (a failed & fallen empire)or their red-neck slave-driving cousins.

quote Sanjay

08 December, 2007, 03:21

If United Russia nominates Medevedev, it will mean a bad omen. He will do what Putin did after coming to power.

Neo-liberal economic policies will ruin russia.

If Ivanov is nominated, however, there is still some hope. Ivanov however will have to be more media savvy and learn to control his true feelings and be diplomatic.

Zubkov may not be a good choice if Putin does not intend to run in 2012.

Everything is in a state of flux.

Russia will have to rapidly develop a sovereign banking system and reverse the neo-liberal policies of Kudrin at the earliest to make economic growth more inclusive and designed to encourage large families to avoid demographic catastrophy.

If neoliberal policies perpetrated by Kudrin, shipping oil and gas to enemies and depositing dollars/euros earned from sales into the banks of those same enemies continue, then demographic catastrophe may even accelerate.

Anglo-american terrorists are a unique and blessed position. They enjoy not only russia's gas and oil but even the resultant dollar/euro revenues, thanks to Kudrin.

On the other hand, russian infrastructure, roads, rails, airports, telecom, health-care, education, science-technology, military are all starved for funds by Kudrin.

One wonders where all the resident wisdom in Russia has gone.

quote uncle$am

07 December, 2007, 15:44

Those people who live in Europe, ecpecially the ones from the former WP, as Poland, Czech republic, Baltic states continiously claim the were occupated by the SU. Why? Now they really think they are free? hahaha. They went from one occupation to the other. Or do they think their politicians can take any important decision without approval of the US? Besides, the West has already taken their economic power,their financial system just as they have already put their men in their politics. They think because they can travel easily often without visa, eat and drink all the junk, and watch all the garbage on tv, they really are free? In the past you had puppet governments which were under control of Moscow, and now they belong to Washington! [part of this post was removed - RT]

quote dax

07 December, 2007, 15:13

sry for bad eng.

All this mess reminds me my aunts words: "When we where kids, we all wanted to become Stalin". actualy, she ment she will become Stalin when she grows up. And the reason why was that, is that ALL the media, was showing ONLY perfect things about Soviet Union and Stalin. There were almost no way to get real info, about whats going on. All the, so called disidents, were shown sth like trators and threat to entire country. As it seems, same is going on now (well, imo its most likely like this, since im not so politicaly educated).
So becouse of vast majority being blind, its nvm how fair elections were, it probly would have been the same result. (only my thought)
Btw, however it is, its hard to be very calm while russia is threatening its neighbours

Post comment

Enter the digits below:*

CAPTCHA image

*This field is required.