Vote Or Die. Literally.
Well perhaps not literally, but close enough: in Russia voters are “urged” to vote. The Kremlin is, basically, willing to do whatever it takes to get people to cast their votes. This means that “[y]ung voters will get discounts for night club passes. Cheap groceries will be sold at the polls.” And “[s]chools and hospitals, meanwhile, are threatening to fire workers who don’t cast ballots.”
The goal of the Kremlin is to have Dmitry Medvedev win the elections by a huge margin. He’s going to win anyway, but 10% difference won’t be suffice. No, the Kremlin wants to destroy all opposition.
And how do you do that? Right:
In Moscow, many government-paid teachers and doctors said their bosses ordered them to vote in their schools and clinics — and told them to call to confirm that they had cast ballots.
Yelena, 45, who works at a state apartment-house maintenance office in southern Moscow, said her bosses demanded the right to cast ballots for both herself and her co-workers at polling stations where turnout was expected to be low on election day…
Korolyov claimed local authorities have warned private firms that if they do not ensure their employees vote in big numbers, they will face a tax fine. He also alleged college students were threatened with failing grades if they didn’t vote…
In the central Russian town of Dzerzhinsk, authorities plan to reward young voters with flyers to local discotheques. Other voters will be able to buy sugar, grain and canned fish at discounted prices at the polls, local authorities said.
In St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, some school teachers were promised a day off if they voted, a teacher said.
If I were Russian, I’d think I’d vote for the opposition. Just to send a message back to the government.
I’d really wonder about how secret your vote is in Russia. I can’t help but think many people would vote for the opposition, but fear reprisals if they do.