Elections Offer Russians Little Choice
official canada goose outlet Endless hours of waiting on platforms and riding in train compartments are a recipe for conversation. And with a parliamentary election in Russia on Sunday, trans Siberian travelers seem more than willing to talk politics. official canada goose outlet
canada goose outlet uk canada goose factory sale sale “The country has been going its way down, down,” said Nina Kuzmina who, like other travelers, spoke through an interpreter. The canada goose clearance sale 35 year old was bundled up in the cold at Yaroslavsky train station in Moscow, ready to board a train back to the industrial city of Perm, canada goose outlet in the Ural Mountains, where she is raising three children. canada goose outlet uk sale
canada goose outlet Canada Goose Outlet online uk Like many Russians, she’s grown tired of a way of life that seems to involve bribes to get anything a better school canada goose store for children, a cheap canada goose uk faster turnaround on a Canada Goose Parka new driver’s license, perhaps an appointment with a medical specialist. “Bribes are everywhere,” Kuzmina says. “Corruption is everywhere, and it’s canada goose uk shop getting worse.” canada goose outlet online uk
canada goose outlet online She plans to vote for one of the opposition parties on Sunday. canada goose outlet online
canada goose jacket outlet Corruption “korruptsia” in https://www.canadagoosejacketsoutsale.com Russian is a word heard more and more often these days. And the perception that government officials think more about themselves than ordinary families may explain why the country’s ruling party United Russia seems more vulnerable than usual heading into this Sunday’s parliamentary vote. canada goose jacket outlet
canada goose canada goose uk black friday outlet shop United Russia will almost certainly maintain its majority in the state parliament, or “Duma.” But polls suggest they could lose seats, despite major advantages. The government only allows certain opposition parties to take part in elections, and news coverage on major TV networks is often canada goose coats on sale controlled or influenced by the state. canada goose outlet shop
canada goose outlet new york city While Russia’s powerful prime minister, Vladimir Putin, is not on any ballot Sunday, he is the symbolic head of United Russia, and the vote will be a barometer of sentiment towards him. Putin plans to run in a presidential canada goose black friday sale election in March and, barring some political earthquake, is bound to return as Russia’s president, an office he held from 2000 to 2008. canada goose outlet new york city
canada goose outlet reviews Putin, long Canada Goose Jackets the most powerful and popular politician in Russia, has essentially maintained a bargain with the Russian people if they accept limitations on democracy, he’ll offer stability and an improving way of life. One question I’m asking as I travel across the country by train is whether that bargain still cheap Canada Goose holds. canada goose outlet reviews
canada goose factory outlet The government “promises to raise our salaries by 2013 we’ll hope they do,” says Alfina Sherniyazova, 44, who works as an inspector at a state run prison in Perm. canada goose buy canada goose jacket cheap factory outlet
canada goose outlet She is well aware that Russia does not have an open democracy like that in western countries. “Other parties exist to make it seem like there is some stir, that it’s not a dictatorship alone,” uk canada goose she tells me. “There’s a feeling that they are made up.” canada goose outlet
canada goose outlet sale canada goose What’s more, Sherniyazova says she and other employees at her prison were nudged by their bosses to vote for the ruling party Sunday. We asked if she was being forced by supervisors to vote for United Russia. “A little,” canada goose clearance she says, demurring as she motioned toward our microphone. “Maybe not exactly forced. Let’s say they explained things.” canada goose outlet sale
canada goose outlet jackets But none of this buy canada goose jacket bothers her for now. canada goose outlet jackets
canada goose outlet in usa As our train rumbled out of Moscow on a four hour journey to our first stop, Yaroslavl, I was sitting in a compartment with 48 year old Sergei Yovlev. Dressed smartly in a canada goose uk outlet pin striped suit, the Russian railways employee was returning home to Yaroslavl after meetings in the capital. canada goose outlet in usa
canada goose outlet parka He’s heard news reports that the ruling party is playing dirty tricks to ensure an election victory Sunday, but he dismisses them as “propaganda.” He’s not a major fan of Putin, canadian goose jacket or the ruling United Russia party, but he says they’ve brought the stability they promised. canada goose outlet parka
canada goose outlet store uk “We can’t see any good replacement [for Putin], another person who can occupy his role,” Yovlev says. “Maybe there are people out there people who are young but today we can’t see them. Today, it’s Putin.” canada goose outlet store uk
goose outlet canada The reality: If Putin becomes president again next year, canada goose coats which now seems ensured, he could serve two six year terms. That would mean he would be in power as president or prime minister for 24 consecutive years. I asked Yovlev if that strikes him as dangerous goose outlet canada.