Over the last year I’ve increasingly been hearing about problems in Russia. Some include: the lack of a free press, consolidation of extraordinary power under Putin, and the inability to freely protest (which is what got Garry Kasparov recently arrested). If you want more details, listen to this podcast where Kasparov describes the problems in more detail. Here’s a new development related to the recent parliamentary election:

Nor was there any doubt that the poll was rigged. “The election was not fair and failed to meet standards for democratic elections,” concluded the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe in a joint statement. Nothing was left to chance to ensure a high turnout. In Moscow your correspondent spotted several “tourist” buses stuffed with people from far-flung regions. They voted early and often. The buses were guarded by men in black leather coats and ski hats who, every few minutes, would let a small group out of the vehicle to cast their ballots. They would move to the next polling station and repeat the exercise. The “leader” of the group said the men were workers from a nearby factory. But, despite strict instruction to keep silent, some admitted that they were free labourers and came from as far away as the Kemerovo region, some 3500 km from Moscow. “We have been going around polling stations since lunch time,” grumbled one man, “and they have not paid us yet”. 

What a sad state of affairs.