Now Reading: Russia Bans Last Anti-War Party From Polls
-
01
Russia Bans Last Anti-War Party From Polls
Russia has barred Yabloko, the country's last anti-war political party, from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections, ndtv.com reports. A poll conducted earlier this year showed the party at just three per…
The Story in Brief
Russia has barred Yabloko, the country's last anti-war political party, from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections, ndtv.com reports. A poll conducted earlier this year showed the party at just three per cent support, well short of the five per cent threshold required to enter the lower house. The move comes as the war in Ukraine grinds on and the Kremlin tightens control over political life.
Yabloko had been a rare opposition voice critical of the invasion. Its exclusion leaves the ballot almost entirely dominated by parties that back the government. The election is widely expected to produce no real challenge to President Vladimir Putin's grip on power.
The Indian Opinion
Some call it a formality: Yabloko was polling at just 3 per cent anyway, far below the 5 per cent threshold. But that misses the point. This is a government systematically squeezing out any remaining political space for dissent, even symbolic opposition. The election may be a foregone conclusion, but the ban signals how far Moscow will go to silence anti-war voices. Watch whether other independent candidates are also disqualified in the weeks ahead.
Source: ndtv.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
