DISINFO: The Russian electoral system is fairer than in Poland
SUMMARY
The Polish electoral system is worse than the Russian one in terms of impartiality and justice. In the Russian political system, elections are much more proportional, so they fully reflect the will of the citizens. Polish politicians should consider reforming the electoral system to ensure that citizens feel confident their chosen candidates, if they pass the electoral threshold, will secure seats in municipal councils and regional assemblies.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative praising Russian democracy and questioning Western democratic standards. The ultimate goal of this disinformation narrative is to justify Russia’s autocratic system by denigrating democratic alternatives.
The claim that Russia’s electoral system is more just than Poland’s is demonstrably false. Russia’s elections are characterised by repression, exclusion, and fraud, while the Polish electoral system is transparent, competitive and fundamentally democratic. See also our article Polish elections in the eyes of Moscow.
Presidential elections were held in Russia from March 15 to March 17 2024. Acknowledging the impossibility of influencing the primary outcome, numerous opposition politicians emphasised the importance of going to the polling stations to express their dissent. Read more about the polling day protest called Midday against Putin.
Russia has for several years refused to formally invite OSCE election observers to monitor elections within its territory. The most recent instance when the OSCE observed elections in Russia was in 2018.
A Council of the EU statement of 18 March 2024 stated:
"The elections took place in an ever-shrinking political space, which has resulted in an alarming increase of violations of civil and political rights, and precluded many candidates from running, including all those opposed to Russia’s illegal war of aggression, deprived Russian voters of a real choice and heavily limited their access to accurate information".
The Russian election system all but guarantees that Putin wins not only through controlled opposition but also as the result of fraudulent ballot set-ups, according to critics.
Read also related stories such as: Vladimir Putin was democratically elected unlike Joe Biden, or Russian electoral system is one of the most advanced worldwide, or Russian government, unlike France or the EU, has a legitimacy that comes from the masses.