Russia’s opposition groups have shifted the focus of their activities to the Internet this week in preparation for a number of upcoming protest actions, which are expected to include a motor rally across Moscow and the so-called 'White Ring' event on February 26th. The government, on its part, is gearing up for a rally which is due to take place on February 23rd. Meanwhile, early voting is already under way in Russia's remote areas and for the Russians who are based abroad.
The organizers of the White Ring event are planning to form a human chain along the entire length of the Garden Ring Road in downtown Moscow with a view to encircle the Kremlin. Those willing to join are required to indicate their intended location on the map. 34,000 people will be required to form the human chain. But only 2,000 participants had registered on the website by Friday and some 12,000 have signed up for the event on Facebook. Moscow City Hall officials say that participants of a human chain don’t have to seek special permission unless the event obstructs traffic.
As for government supporters, they have failed to obtain permission for holding a rally in the vicinity of the Kremlin and will have to march along the Frunzenskaya Embankment to the Luzhniki Stadium.
As early voting got under way across Russia this week, residents of the Sakhalin Region cast their ballots on Friday. More than a million people in 37 remote areas of Russia will be able to cast their votes before the so-called “day of silence” on the eve of the election day. Early voting at polling stations abroad began on Saturday. In most cases, ballot boxes will be put up at Russian embassies. Bulgaria, Latvia and Germany have the largest number of early voting stations. Russians living in Bulgaria will be the first to vote. They will be followed by another 80,000 Russians residing in 58 countries.
In the meantime, Russia's presidential candidates are taking part in television debates and meeting with voters. In addition, they have to make time for discussing pressing issues with the president. On Wednesday, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Gennady Zyuganov and Sergei Mironov met President Medvedev to discuss a reform of Russia's political system. Mikhail Prokhorov met with students and gave instruction to a basketball team during a training session at one of Moscow's schools. Prokhorov’s election agents, pop diva Alla Pugacheva and musician Andrei Makarevich, wrote a song in support of their candidate. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been busy inspecting the implementation of healthcare reforms in the Siberian Federal District and debating with officials over ways to boost the efficiency of state management.
Pollsters are having a busy time tracking fluctuations in the candidates’ ratings. The ratings of independent Mikhail Prokhorov and A Just Russia leader Sergei Mironov have been going up, while the ratings of Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky have remained unchanged. Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov’s ratings have been going down. By contrast, Vladimir Putin’s ratings have shown a steady rise, nearing 55% against 53% last week. Strange as it might seem, each opposition move receives a hearty welcome on the Internet and each of Putin’s steps runs into an avalanche of criticism. Pavel Salin of the Political Situation Center believes there's nothing surprising about that.
"There is nothing surprising about all this. Russian voters fall into two groups: the larger one belongs to the TV audience, the smaller one relies on the Internet. Given the situation, a hike in Putin’s ratings was predictable."
The Internet minority is fully aware who has more chances of winning the vote and is just trying to give vent to their pent-up fury, analyst Leonid Polyakov says.
"The overall majority of Russians realise that the Prime Minister is the only person who can guarantee stability and development. They realise that a victory by any of presidential contenders other than Putin would lead to changes, not necessarily for the better. Everyone remembers the changes the country went through in the 90s. Even opposition supporters who keep in touch via the Internet, are aware that Putin is likely to win in the first round. That's why they are giving way to their adverse feelings."
Obviously, the confrontation in the Russian society is coming to an end and the government has been working hard to search for a solution. On February 20th, President Medvedev will meet representatives from unregistered political groups to discuss suggestions on the minimum number of members required for a party to register and ways of reforming Russia's political system.
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