The Nature of Elections

Elections are known to be a sign of a democratized society. In the Soviet Union, during the era of the dictatorship of the proletariat, there were no elections. In 1936, the Stalin Constitution was adopted, proclaiming the victory of socialism in the Soviet Union. The first elections to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR took place on December 12, 1937. I remember those elections; I was seven years old then. We lived in Tbilisi, and I recall small airplanes flying over the city, dropping leaflets encouraging people to participate in the elections.

Memories of Early Soviet Elections

People went to the polls with dances, songs, and in a festive mood, as if it were a folk celebration. This reminds me of the presidential elections in 2024. Although elections to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and presidential elections are different, there are some similarities between the Soviet Union and Russia. I was involved in organizing elections to the Supreme Soviet in my position. In practice, there was no choice. The ballot had only one candidate, who would undoubtedly be elected. The candidate was appointed by the district committee, city committee, or the Central Committee of the Union Republic. The candidate gave a campaign speech to workers, employees, and collective farmers. People were allowed to write their wishes to the candidate on the back of the ballot.

Reflections on Modern Elections

I’m not familiar with the complete process of becoming a presidential candidate, but I haven’t seen presidential elections since 1996. There have been changes in the positions of president and chairman of the council of ministers, but no presidential elections in Russia. Being an old person, I have seen and heard a lot. I envy Americans for how they elect their president, with fierce competition between candidates and campaign speeches in various states.

**Concerns About the 2024 Presidential Elections ** I don’t remember Putin’s campaign speeches or his plans for continuing his presidency. Where will he lead the country next? I’ve looked into the presidential candidates, and I suspect none of them have a real chance of winning. The people don’t know them, and they might become known before the elections. They don’t have any significant achievements for the people. I don’t know what platform they will present, but I guess it will mainly be against war and for improving relations with the West. However, many decrees and laws have been passed that prohibit speaking out against these issues. They lack the main tool for an election campaign—mass media. Meanwhile, Putin can regularly and consistently make appearances across various media platforms.

The Future of Russia’s Political Landscape

A well-known political figure is often attributed with saying, “It’s not how people vote that matters, but how the votes are counted.” We can guess how the results will be counted. The 2024 elections will show the direction in which the country is heading. Two fundamentally different paths are clashing: either the current exploiters will continue their exploitation, or they will be replaced by a new group of exploiters. As the saying goes, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”