By: Clifford Levy
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/world/europe/01russia.html?em&ex=1194062400&en=6a35d33d653937ac&ei=5087%0A
News from the Kremlin came Wednesday that Russia will be cutting back on the number of vote monitors for parliamentary elections in December. Vote monitors are incorporated into elections, particularly in the former Soviet Union, in order to ensure clean elections. In stead of the 400 observers as in the last elections for parliament four years ago, only 70 observers will be present at the elections to be held on December 2nd. All this comes after President Putin and his cabinet have changed other election laws, making it virtually impossible for opposition groups to run or much less defeat the United Russia party. It also follows news that Putin has already named a successor to his position, which is supposed to be open to free and democratic elections. Even with the larger number of monitors four years ago President Putin criticized the monitors' reports that exposed Russia's voting system as fraudulent and how it supressed opposition groups from haveing any kind of chance at winning.
It is sad to say, however, I think that Russia is, and has been, reverting back to the totalitarian rule from which it recently gained its freedom. Putin blatantly continues to undermine the values and systems of a free democratic society in favor of complete control over all levels of government. I even read in my literature class how Putin's government was rewriting history textbooks to shine a more pleasant light on Russia's history of totalitarian leaders, such as Stalin. Just as we were beginning to think that the iron curtain of communism was coming down with the fall of the Berlin wall, we are struck by Putin's flagrant disregard for fair and free elections. All signs are pointing towards Russia's return to a closed, dictatorial society, in which its people will again be repressed by the government, whether by Putin himself or by one of his puppets.
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