Putin puts rival out of running

The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation has effectively excluded the liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky of the opposition party Jabloko from the Russian presidential elections slated for March 4, saying he lacked enough supporters to be registered as a candidate. This smacks of political tyranny aimed at securing a victory for Vladimir Putin in the first round of the elections, the liberal daily NRC Handelsblad comments: "Yavlinsky may have no chance of becoming president but he offers young voters the chance of a protest vote. Putin hopes that without Yavlinsky this new middle class will stay at home. That would be a double bonus because he could then claim their votes for his own using fraud tactics. But it is also a risky operation because since the rigged parliamentary elections in December the times of yes-sayers and apathy have come to an end. ... If Putin's opponents manage to keep closed ranks in the fight for honest elections, Yavlinsky's exclusion could actually backfire. ... A President Putin elected after just one round of voting would already be discredited."

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Russia

» To the complete press review of Friday, January 27, 2012