Das Vadanya Freedom
The Washington Post notes what "free elections" have come to mean under Vladimir Putin. They are neither. Russia is heading back to the bad old Soviet way of doing business, with the added features of a mafia-style leadership.
VLADIMIR PUTIN'S Russian "democracy" put on a remarkable show this week. On Wednesday, Mr. Putin accepted the abrupt resignation of the prime minister and announced the nomination of an obscure bureaucrat and personal pal, Viktor Zubkov, whom most Russians had never heard of. Yesterday, the parliament duly voted Mr. Zubkov into office by a count of 381 to 47 after a discussion of less than two hours. As an Associated Press reporter described it, "Lawmakers praised Zubkov, posed easy questions and gladly accepted his responses in rote exchanges" reminiscent "of Soviet-era Communist Party meetings."
Putin places a virtually unknown crony in office and the decision is rubber-stamped. That Zubkov will be nothing more than a puppet for Putin should be obvious. Putin will step down without actually having to step down; he'll simply fade into the background and pull the strings on his chosen successor. Dictatorship and corruption is on the rise in the world - and contrary to the assertions of the Western left, it isn't America that is leading the way.
World news | Gaius Saturday, 15 September , 2007
By Bleepless, Saturday, 15 September , 2007 @ 11:13 am
He reminds me of Sukarno without the hookers.