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"Primaries" in the "republics". What was it?

10/10/2016 11:21:47 am
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"On Sunday residents of Donbass elected candidates to local authorities, who will participate in the real elections." It was the beginning of the the report from Donetsk by Russian Komsomolskaya Pravda. The very mention of the "real" elections means that the elections were NOT real. And not because they are also called "primaries" but because hardly anyone in Donetsk, Luhansk or even Moscow understands their meaning.

The former head of the National Security Council of the "DPR" Alexander Khodakovsky during his online conference said that conducting "primaries" was obligatory under the Minsk agreements. But Minsk arrangements do not mention primaries or primary election...

The concept of "primaries" means preliminary internal party elections. That is, members of one party carry out primary elections among the contenders for the nomination of candidates from the party in order to understand who of them has the best chances to win the elections to the authorities.

In the "DPR" and "LPR" voting was general but not within a party. Accordingly, the word "primaries" is not what took place in Donetsk and Luhansk on October 2nd. The voting is a local invention that apparently was targeted to save the face of the leaders of the "republics". Just when the "heads of state" change the date of the election four times but do not carry them out – residents may doubt the health condition of the heads. The fact that the poor "republics" spent more than one million rubles on this farce - should be especially warming for recipients of humanitarian aid and those who earn salaries of 5000 rubles ...

Another motive, but a very weak one, is to put pressure on Ukraine and members of the Minsk process, to show that they can hold local elections bypassing the Minsk agreements.

"Why would the republics need a rehearsal of elections? - We wanted to show that we were not terrorists and separatists. We live in a normal country and we have the ability and desire to demonstrate our will," - said general Zakharchenko in "Address to the people".

How the "rehearsal" showed that they were "not terrorists and separatists" is unclear. Since this is not the first elections, which took place on the territories captured by the DPR and LPR in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Moreover, these "elections" just showed the whole theatricality, staging of "democracy" in the puppet republics. These "primaries" will not have any legal consequences. Neither for the participants (the victory in the "primary" does not guarantee them victory in real elections), nor for the international recognition of the "republics". Firstly, the "primaries" are not provided by "law" of the "DPR-LPR", and secondly - they will not affect the legitimization of "authorities". Even international observers – 22 in Donetsk, - are only referred to as "international observers", but in fact, they have no official mandate of their states.

And the identity of these "observers" give rise to doubt their objectivity strongly. For example, Italian journalist Giulietto Chiesa worked as Moscow correspondent for Unita (1980-1990) and La Stampa (1990-2000) in the past 20 years (!). The head of Genoa Association of the Italian Communist Party was nominated to the European Parliament from   Latvia's ZaPcheL pro-Russian party, but failed. That is, the pro-Russian orientation of the "observer" is obvious.

The "high turnout" of voters should be particularly noted, on which media of the "republics" and the Russian Federation wrote on Sunday night. To understand how "high" it is, you should compare the number of voters in the "primaries" on October 2nd, 2016 and "elections of heads of republics" on November 2nd, 2014.

"According to preliminary data of the TEC (Temporary Electoral Commission - auth.), 369 617 came to vote," - wrote the "official" news agency of the "DPR". The voter turnout in the elections for "the head of the republic" in November 2014 was 1 million 120 thousand people. That is, if you take 1.12 million for 100% even though many media reported in 2014 that it was 85%, then 370 thousand is just one-third of voters.

The "LPR" figures are even more interesting. There were 54,426 voters. And two years ago, 705 thousand people ...

Either then they lied, or residents’ interest in the creation of their "states" fell by three times in the "DPR" and twelve times in the "LPR".

By the way, a nihilistic attitude of the residents of the occupied territories to "democracy demonstrations" is clearly seen in the Internet resources of the puppet "republic" and social networks. The news that Motorola’s son was born caused not less, but perhaps more interest than the primaries.

Sergei Garmash, OstroV