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Freedom House Sizes Up Russian Democracy
The U.S. NGO Freedom House issued its annual report on democracy in 30 countries around the world, in which it categorizes Russia as an undemocratic country for the first time. The government-supported, pro-U.S. foundation found a clear tendency to reduce democratic freedoms in the world today and it attributed the spread of that tendency to Russia and China, saying that they are encouraging their brand of “authoritarian capitalism” in countries attempting to modernize their economies without increasing political freedom. It named Libya, Tunisia and Algeria as examples of such countries. The organization also criticized Thailand and Bangladesh for reversals of democratic trends.
The report's harsh criticism of Russia is a first for the organization. Among the factors mentioned in the report in reference to Russia were the higher percentage barrier for parties entering the Duma, the nontransparent process for licensing media outlets, corruption, the rare use of juries in trials and an unobjective approach to property rights. The report also addresses the Russian concept of ”sovereign democracy” for the first time, finding little in it that has anything in common with “genuine” democracy.
Presidential authority and Russian President Vladimir Putin personally are also assessed in the report. The report attributes Putin's popularity in Russia to the strict control of the media and casts doubt on the scope of choices in the 2008 presidential election, saying that they will be fully managed by the Kremlin.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 26, 2007
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