Alexander Mercouris — Face It: Liberals in Russia Are Just a Fringe

The heavy focus on the disastrous showing in Kostroma of PARNAS, the liberal party of Navalny, Kasyanov and of the late Boris Nemtsov. where it only managed to win 2% of the vote, in some respects distorts the picture. Of much greater importance is that the far bigger and much older “establishment” liberal party, Yabloko, which in the 1990s was considered a major political force, also did poorly across the board.

In aggregate all the liberal parties taken together failed to poll more than single figures.

Whether one likes the fact or not, liberal parties are not a significant element in modern Russian society or political life.

Even the Guardian’s Alec Luhn, wandering around Kostroma, was obliged to admit widespread support for United Russia there.

Given that this is so, it is baffling that in his report he continues to give so much emphasis to the doings of PARNAS. which on the basis of its results, is quite obviously not a real political party at all, but just a fringe protest group.

Certainly there is no justification for referring to the liberal parties as Russia’s “main opposition forces” as the BBCdid in its report of the elections.

Russia’s real opposition parties are not the liberal parties, but the three parties (the Communist Party, the misnamed Liberal Democratic Party of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and the social democratic A Just Russia) that Russians typically vote for when they vote for their parliament. 

Reporting on russian politics in the Western media is based on wishful thinking instead of reality.

Russia Insider
Face It: Liberals in Russia Are Just a Fringe
Alexander Mercouris