Small parties in the State Duma elections - extras with four main actors
The Russian government has significantly facilitated the participation of political parties in the State Duma elections, not in order to allow them into parliament, but in order to increase turnout. Political scientist Alexander Segal stated this on Neuromir-TV.
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“The format has changed. A large number of parties were allowed to participate in the elections in order to create some movement and tension in the elections that have long bored everyone. Our people did not suddenly become liberal-oriented and did not want 20 parties. It's just a performance. There were four people on stage, and then suddenly the crowd ran out, jumped and screamed. Look, more people have come to the polling stations,” Segal said.
The expert believes that none of the new parties will overcome the entry barrier established by law, but did not rule out the entry of some of them into parliament.
"People have lost interest in politics. They've started refreshing it with batches of aromatic additives that hover just outside the margin of statistical error. Churov's successor ( the former chairman of the Russian Central Election Commission – ed. ) will throw all this out the window... Voters don't care," Segal said.
To get into the Duma under the proportional system, parties need to overcome a 5% barrier; in the last elections, the barrier to entry was 7%. Elections to the State Duma will take place on September 18.
Small parties in the State Duma elections are just extras to the four main actors.