Democracy in Russia: A Virtual Reality?

At a recent Kennan Institute talk, Pilar Bonet, Correspondent, El Pais, Moscow Bureau, and former Title VIII-Supported Research Scholar, Kennan Institute, spoke about current political trends in Russia. She argued that Russia today cannot be considered a democracy. Since the election of Vladimir Putin, the state is increasingly using a "successful combination of new technologies, Soviet realities, and police methods" to run the country. Bonet said that Russia's leaders use democratic rhetoric and present a picture of democracy, but the political reality of the country reminds her very much of the Soviet Union.

Bonet described Russia's political structure as a pyramid with the president at the top, and contrasted this to a democratic structure, which should be horizontal and flexible. She argued that the Kremlin-led United Russia party, which holds a large enough majority in the Russian parliament (Duma) to amend the constitution, is more like the Communist Party of the Soviet Union than the political parties in democratic states. All Duma committees are chaired by United Russia deputies, and the new practice of "zero readings" moves the process of debating pending legislation into the committees and off of the Duma floor. Even freedom of speech is limited, according to Bonet, because when laws are read, each party is allocated a number of questions based on their representation in the Duma. She warned that these changes will have a negative impact on the quality and type of legislation passed.

Anti-democratic tendencies are visible outside of the Duma, according to Bonet. She argued that Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, has lost any pretense of representing the country's 89 regions. As an example, she cited Putin's appointment of two St. Petersburgers as representatives of the Far Eastern republic of Tuva. Bonet believes that the next presidential election is also unlikely to be free and fair. She noted that many potential opponents of Putin are afraid to run for president, saying that Russia's long history of authoritarianism leads people to be especially fearful of becoming political dissidents.

The two liberal parties of the Yeltsin era—Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces—suffered tremendous losses in the November 2003 Duma elections. Bonet argued that these parties are unlikely to play a role in future elections, and this has left Russia's liberals in a very difficult position. She explained that some individuals and organizations have either been swallowed up by United Russia or are otherwise willing to work with the current government, while others, such as Union of Right Forces leader Boris Nemtsov, have become stridently anti-Putin.

Bonet noted that Russia's political future is not clear, and that there is extensive debate over whether the current semi-authoritarian system is sustainable. She believes that there is significant potential for conflict, either within the United Russia party or between United Russia and the Kremlin. She explained that United Russia's deputies represent very diverse interest groups, and that the means by which Putin controls the party are unclear. Bonet argued that Russian society is growing increasingly sophisticated and may begin to demand changes from the government.