Anti-Putin Snow Revolution a year later finds opposition weak and divided
Moscow (AsiaNews) - No political reforms have been achieved. No dialogue has been established with those in power who have reacted instead by cracking down on the people out in the streets. However, although Russia's opposition remains weak and unstructured, its mere existence signals a reawakening of its civil society, which is no longer willing to stand idly by to watch but wants to work actively for change.
A year after the 'Snow Revolution' was sparked on 5 December 2011 by allegations of fraud in the just concluded parliamentary elections, demonstrations, marches and online activism have given voice to the movement and its foremost leaders.
Interviewed by online publication PublicPost, activist Ilya Yashin, environmentalist Evghenia Chirikova, former Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov and journalist Serghei Parkhomenko agree more or less.
Only the movement's radical wing, made up of socialists and Serghei Udaltsov's Left Front, believes that a year of protests, with unprecedented tens of thousands of people into the streets during Putin's regime, has shown that change cannot occur peacefully.
"We must adopt more radical measures and stronger pressures because we have seen that the Kremlin reacts with repression against civil protests," Udaltsov said. Recently charged with causing mass disorder, he could get ten years in prison.
Udaltsov is not the only activist charged by Russian prosecutors who have been accused of targeting people for political reasons, including the Pussy Riot, the 17 detained activists involved on 6 May in clashes with police on the eve of Putin's swearing-in ceremony, and Leonid Razvozzhayev, who is accused of planning to overthrow the Russian government with funds from Georgia and is currently in prison after he was arrested under suspicious circumstances when he went to Kiev to ask for political asylum.
A new rally is being organised to celebrate the 'Snow Revolution' on 15 December in Moscow with participants marching downtown, but organisers are still waiting for a permit from the city.
As if the authorities' stonewalling was not enough, the opposition movement is becoming more divided. This was shown by the first meeting of the rally's 45-member coordinating committee, which was chosen online by more 80,000 people in October for the purpose of organising opposition activities.
For example, a dispute has broken out over the rally's main slogan. Some want 'Independent Justice,' whilst others prefer 'New Elections' or 'Release political prisoners.'
"It's a miracle that we settled on the date of 15 December for the rally without a much ado," said former chess grand master Garry Kasparov, who has been active in politics for years.
A month after its election, the coordinating committee, set up like a shadow cabinet, is still weak and operating under a very vague mandate. Political scientist Andrei Piontovsky has drafted a manifesto that no one likes. As an alternative, some have proposed to set up an ad hoc group to draft a paper that would indicate the goals and task of the new organisation.
Typical of the situation, committee chairman blogger Alexei Navalny decided to "pull out" suggesting Dmitri Bykov take his place. The latter responded, saying that he could only write in verses.
Whether they like or not, the anti-Putin forces cannot avoid drawing up platform, as demanded by the grassroots.
A manifesto should be adopted at the next committee meeting on 16 December. It could include all the demands made by the various groups brought into the streets in the past year: political reforms, economic reforms (including more money for research), the release of political prisoners, new parliamentary and presidential elections, and a freeze on utility fees.
In the meantime, support for President Putin is dropping steadily. A survey by the Levada Center shows that his approval rating dropped from 69 per cent to 63 per cent.
Yet, trust in the opposition's ways is not very encouraging. A survey by a public opinion foundation showed that just under a quarter of respondents (24 per cent) knows or has heard about the Coordinating Committee. A majority of these (35 per cent) believe it will never become an influential political force.
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15/12/2020 12:31
